Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri were seen awkwardly watching on as the rest of Arsenal’s squad celebrated winning the Community Shield – leaving many fans convinced that their days at the club are numbered.
There was some surprise as the two attackers were left out of Arsenal’s clash against Manchester City, with the duo failing to even make the substitutes bench in Cardiff.
The two managers were only permitted to name nine players in addition to their starting XIs at the Principality Stadium – a rule that a ‘saddened’ Mikel Arteta hopes is changed.
‘Really sad to not have their availability,’ the Arsenal head coach told TNT Sports ahead of kick-off.
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‘I have been fighting with the Premier League to extend them and to accommodate more players in the squad.
‘They deserve to be in the squad. Hopefully we can change that rule.’
The Gunners coped perfectly well without Martinelli and Nwaneri on the day, with Riccardo Calafiori firing the English champions in front after only 23 seconds.
Kai Havertz and club captain Martin Odegaard struck either side of half-time to further increase the deficit against a lacklustre City, led by Enzo Maresca for the first time in an official capacity.
The result saw the Gunners claim the Community Shield for an 18th time in their history – just three short of Manchester United’s record total of 21 victories.
There were jubilant scenes as Arteta’s players gathered around Odegaard on the podium to hold the prize aloft shortly after the final whistle.
However, a video has been circulating amongst Arsenal supporters which shows both Martinelli and Nwaneri standing some distance away from the rest of their team-mates – until Gabriel Magalhaes eventually persuaded them to join in the fun.
‘Bro [three crying emojis] separately, Nwaneri and Martinelli are GONE. Them man were borderline refusing to go over for the celebrations until Big Gabi called them over,’ one Arsenal fan wrote on X.
A second bluntly wrote: ‘Just get them gone man, £80m right there and a new attacking signing.’
‘It’s sad how little Martinelli has developed but it’s time to move on,’ said one Gooner, while another chimed in: ‘Oh my days, it’s actually over.’
Widely followed Arsenal page Talking Highbury, meanwhile, tweeted: ‘Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Martinelli were LEFT OUT OF THE SQUAD and barely joined the celebrations afterwards until Big Gabi called them over.
‘It certainly looked like two players who could be ON THEIR WAY OUT.’
This summer, the likes of Galatasaray and Napoli have been credited with a strong interest in Martinelli – one of Arsenal’s longest serving players following his arrival from Ituano back in 2019.
Hale End product Nwaneri has been linked with Serie A giants AC Milan, meanwhile, and Arteta has refused to rule out a move for the youngster, once touted as a potential superstar in north London.
‘I want him to be at the club,’ Arteta said of Nwaneri, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Marseille.
‘But we have to think about the medium and long term,’ Arteta said.
‘What is best for the player? Ethan needs to play football. If he stays here, we must be able to guarantee him those minutes, otherwise it won’t be beneficial for either side.’
Martinelli has entered into the final 12 months of his contract, while Nwaneri still has four years remaining on his current deal at the Emirates.
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