Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has voiced his disappointment over Gabriel Martinelli’s development, claiming the Brazilian has yet to fulfil the potential many expected from him, Softfootball reports.
Petit believes Martinelli has struggled to make the same level of progress as teammate Bukayo Saka, who has established himself as one of the Premier League’s standout performers in recent seasons
While acknowledging Martinelli’s recent display against Crystal Palace, the 1998 FIFA World Cup winner insisted one impressive performance is not enough to erase concerns about the winger’s overall consistency.
The Frenchman noted that both Martinelli and Saka broke into Arsenal’s first team around the same period, but argued that Saka has improved significantly with each campaign while Martinelli has failed to make a similar leap.
Petit admitted he had expected more from several Arsenal players but singled out Martinelli as someone whose development has stalled. He questioned when the Brazilian would finally reach the level many believed he was capable of achieving after such a promising start to his Arsenal career.
