Inconsistent Martinelli is costing Arsenal the title AGAIN

Arsenal have, once again, found themselves falling victim to the displays of their enigmatic attack, with Gabriel Martinelli costing the Gunners the win over Fulham.

Mikel Arteta’s side thought they had come from behind to steal an away win against the Cottagers but Martinelli found himself inexplicably offside in the build-up to Bukayo Saka’s 88th minute disallowed goal.

The moment summed up the last 18 months of Martinelli’s career at Arsenal, which has seen the 23-year-old’s form and consistency dramatically decline.

Martinelli netted 15 times in 36 games during the 2022/23 season but he has since scored just nine goals in his 47 league appearances since, often going on barren runs and leaving Arsenal’s attack looking toothless.

The emergence of Leandro Trossard has seen Martinelli come under pressure at times but even the Belgian has had his highs and lows, giving Arteta little choice of quality down the left wing.

Arsenal have not wanted to give up on a player who has shown immense talent since arriving as a teenager in 2019 but, with Martinelli having a detrimental effect on multiple games and title races, the patience is surely running out with the Brazilian.

Why Arteta needs to be more ruthless with inconsistent forwards

Arteta has proven a ruthless manager during his time at Arsenal, often disposing of star players despite their standing in the dressing room and aiming to raise the standards in order to get his side challenging for major honours again.

However, while the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Granit Xhaka have been moved on by Arteta, the Spaniard has resisted the urge to make wholesale changes to his front line.

Indeed, this summer Arsenal opted to continue with Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus in attack despite the pair proving throughout the previous campaign to be too hot or cold to rely on during a title race.

Arsenal have been grateful for the goals and assists of top scorer Saka but the need for a true goalscorer has been apparent and has cost the Gunners another two points against Fulham.

The narrow margins of error will surely lead to Arsenal rueing their loyalty to stars like Martinelli and the youngster will need to have a major change in his fortunes to save his career at the Emirates.