Gabriel Martinelli's hat-trick confirms Mikel Arteta used him in the wrong position at Arsenal all along

Gabriel Martinelli has already made his mark after leaving Arsenal.

The Brazilian was a fan favourite at the Emirates throughout his time at the club, and it was sad to see him leave earlier this month.

However, Arsenal made a huge profit on Martinelli, and it just felt like the right time for both parties to go their separate ways.

Now, just days after his departure, Martinelli has made the headlines in Saudi Arabia.

Gabriel Martinelli scores a hat-trick in his first away start since leaving Arsenal

Gabriel Martinelli had a tough few seasons at Arsenal.

After the highs of the 2022/23 campaign, where he scored 15 Premier League goals, the former Ituano man was hampered by injuries.

Even when he was fit, he often struggled to have a positive impact in games where the opposition deployed a low block.

You can’t blame Arsenal for letting him go, but perhaps Mikel Arteta could’ve been a bit more flexible with Martinelli’s position.

The Gunners boss always preferred him on the left wing, where he was often forced to hug the touchline and wasn’t given enough freedom to cut inside.

That problem seems to have been solved at Al-Hilal.

Against Al-Taawoun on Saturday, Martinelli scored a fantastic hat-trick to help his side win 6-0 in the Saudi Pro League.

Even though the former Arsenal man started on the right wing, all three of his goals came from central positions inside the box.

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When he first got into the first team at the Emirates, Unai Emery chose to play Martinelli as a striker, which is where he played for Ituano back home in Brazil.

In 260 appearances under Arteta, Martinelli played as a centre-forward on just six occasions, which is a very small sample size.

We really think Martinelli is at his best when he plays in a more central role. It’s a shame he barely got to do it at Arsenal, but Inzaghi may give him much more freedom at Al-Hilal.

That could make him an absolute superstar in the coming months and years.