Arsenal two days away from discovering £52m Gabriel Martinelli solution amid left-wing concern

The signing of Noni Madueke did not excite many supporters when it was revealed that the England international was a target. Soon after that, interest was formalised into a move. The £52million price tag only furthered questions and, sadly, led to some rather unsavoury responses.

However, as pre-season has got underway, the potential for Madueke to make his introduction into the Arsenal side has become more welcome. The three matches in Asia, which saw the Gunners beat both AC Milan and Newcastle, while being beaten painfully by Spurs, showcased a problem that has persisted long before this summer’s games.

Both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard did little to inspire confidence that the Gunners' left-hand side is set to take a step up this forthcoming season. When in his two substitute appearances, Reiss Nelson was able to gain more appreciation for his displays than the two players above him in the pecking order, that is in itself a red flag.

There are fair suggestions that a signing on the left to upgrade on the two current starters is a way forward. However, there is equally a reasonable argument that Arsenal’s problems on the left are more systematic.

Where Bukayo Saka has support from an overlapping right-sided full-back in either Ben White or Jurrien Timber, in addition to the creative qualities of Martin Odegaard, the left wing is more isolated. Declan Rice likes to pass internally and even he himself can be seen drifting away from the left eight role and into central areas before playing balls to the right hand side.

Myles Lewis-Skelly or Riccardo Calafiori are tactically instructed to invert into midfield rather than overlap their wide colleague. This leaves Martinelli and Trossard with far more to do and forcing them into one-on-one or one-vs-two situations in the corner of the field which proves challenging.

Madueke might find more success on the left flank, where his naturally stronger left foot adds a new element. It is appealing to have the ability to drive down the flank more comfortably before providing crosses and cut-backs for the new centre-forward, Viktor Gyokeres.

Furthermore, where Martinelli ranks in the 46th percentile for successful take-ons and Trossard ranks even lower in the 33rd percentile, Madueke is far better in these scenarios, ranking in the 76th percentile. He also ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive carries, showing his ability on the ball, too.

This remains a theory for now, but it could be that Madueke gets the opportunity to play on the left when Arsenal take on Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium in two days. However, he could remain in his more frequented right flank positioning to rotate with Bukayo Saka—the role he was predominantly brought in to provide quality competition for.

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.