0 shots on target in 61 mins: Arteta must upgrade on 23-year-old Arsenal ace – Opinion

Arsenal crashed to a disappointing defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League yesterday. 

Alexander Isak scored the only goal of the game early in the first half and Arsenal struggled to get back on level terms. The Gunners failed to create too many goalscoring opportunities, and they will be left frustrated with the performance of the attacking unit.

Gabriel Martinelli was quite disappointing in particular, and the Brazilian winger failed to take a single shot on target during his time on the pitch. The 23-year-old completed just one successful dribble during his 61 minutes on the pitch as well. 

Martinelli was regarded as one of the finest attacking prospects at the club, but his performances have been rather underwhelming since last season. He scored just eight goals across all competitions last season and so far he has picked up just two goals and two assists for the Gunners. 

Arsenal need to upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli

It would be ideal for Mikel Arteta to find an upgrade on the South American in the coming months. There is no doubt that he could still be a very useful squad player for Arsenal, but the Gunners need better players at their disposal if they want to match up to the European elite. They need a quality winger who can create goalscoring opportunities and chip in with goals regularly as well. 

Martinelli certainly has the potential to develop into a top-class player, but he needs to improve his end product. 

It will be interesting to see if Arsenal decide to dip into the transfer market in January for a dynamic attacker who can operate on the flanks as well as centrally. It is evident that they need goals in their attacking unit. Gabriel Jesus has not been able to score goals consistently, and Kai Havertz is not a prolific goalscorer either.