The Athletic just nailed Arsenal's cold Gabriel Martinelli truth
Over the last few weeks, Arsenal fans have become increasingly anxious about Gabriel Martinelli's potential sale. With Christos Tzolis signed and Martinelli completely left out of the Community Shield squad, it doesn't look promising with mere weeks remaining in the transfer window.
As excellently pointed out by James McNicholas of The Athletic, it wouldn't be entirely unlike Arsenal under Mikel Arteta to sell a player like Martinelli. A big reason why the Gunners are in the position they're in is that Arteta has emphasised removing the sentimentality that previously held them back.
Arsenal selling Gabriel Martinelli wouldn't be easy
Nobody would like to sell Martinelli. Arsenal wouldn't like to sell Martinelli, Martinelli wouldn't like being sold, and Arsenal fans wouldn't like seeing him sold. Unfortunately, though, if you have high ambitions, you have to make some ruthless decisions along the way.
Sometimes, the kindest thing to do is the thing that seems cruellest on paper.
Let's consider the alternative to selling Martinelli for a second. What if he stays? Well, he would be entering the final season of his contract, albeit with an option to extend. He would be competing for a spot against Christos Tzolis, who, let's face it, looks like a robot with the impressive numbers he can produce.
What happens then? How good is it for Martinelli's development and career ambition if he plays each important game from the bench, and starts in cup games? Surely, the lesser of two evils in this instance is to sell Martinelli.
It's a sensitive topic that must be approached with the same sensitivity
As The Athletic addressed, it is a sensitive topic and one that Arsenal will address much more diplomatically than this kneejerk reaction from a fan website.
We are fans that have Martinelli's best interest at heart, and the decision-makers at Arsenal also have Martinelli's best interest at heart (we hope). The interest can be the same, but the outcome can be drastically different.
Sentimentality serves no one
The key takeaway here is that sentimentality holds clubs back. If you are sentimental, you cling to players and processes that the general state of the game may have moved past.
Also, if you try to maintain the same look and feel as you had before winning trophies, then you won't continue to win trophies. To be clear, I am not specifically speaking about Martinelli here: what he achieved at Arsenal is incredible, and he will be remembered fondly no matter what happens this summer.
The fanbase speaks plenty about 'trusting the process.' Even during the bleakest of times in the banter era, when the light in the distance seemed so far away it was almost invisible, Arsenal fans trusted whatever seemingly reckless decision Arteta made.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was once Arsenal's best player, but Arteta was soon vindicated for moving away from him. The same can be said for Emile Smith Rowe and, to a lesser extent, Aaron Ramsdale.
It wasn't easy waving goodbye to those players, but they are still held highly in Arsenal fans' hearts. If Martinelli is the next one to go, then we as fans simply need to salute that same old adage that has never failed us before: trust the process.
