Arsenal news: Pundit fires Gabriel Martinelli warning pre-Wolves after Arteta reveal
Noel Whelan has warned Gabriel Martinelli he may have to “bide his time” before he can return to the Arsenal eleven.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka will keep their places in the Gunners lineup.
Martinelli, 20, is available to face Wolves on Thursday after serving a one-match ban for his dismissal at Molineux earlier this month.
However, replacement Smith Rowe netted a sumptuous second-half strike to open the scoring against Brentford on Sunday (20 February).
Speaking post-match and quoted by football.london, Mikel Arteta hinted he may make his decision based on how the pair train this week.
When asked if Martinelli could come straight back into the Arsenal side, Whelan told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “I don’t think so.
“I don’t think you can ever change a winning side going into a game like this.
“He’ll have to bide his time and wait for his chance. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the way of the world in football.
“If they’d have drawn against Brentford then Arteta would have had more food for thought, but with Smith Rowe and Saka scoring – I think they’ll keep their places.
“It’s a crucial game now as well because Wolves are right up there and have some games in hand, they could easily leapfrog Arsenal.
“You can’t change a winning side, but what a plus it will be to have Martinelli on the bench against a side who are going to push you all the way in the fight for that fourth spot.”
Arsenal sit four points adrift of fourth-place Man United with three games in hand on the Old Trafford club.
Thursday’s opponents Wolves, who are just two points behind the Gunners, will be out for revenge having been defeated 1-0 in the reverse fixture just two weeks ago.
In other news, Kieran Maguire has dropped a £63million Arsenal reveal as Stan Kroenke’s plan is revealed.