£72.5m wasted: Arteta must cash in on Arsenal dud who earns more than Saka & Martinelli -opinion
Arsenal have demonstrated their excellent recruitment in the transfer market over the last couple of years, investing in players to aid their Premier League title aspirations.
Centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba joined the Gunners for a combined £54m, a bargain given their recent impact under Mikel Arteta at the Emirates.
The pair were integral figures in their title charge last season which saw the Gunners concede just 29 times, the best record in the division, but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to end the club’s long wait for a league triumph.
Brazilian Gabriel has maintained his excellent form from the previous campaign, already scoring twice in the 2024/25 season, securing a huge win against rivals Tottenham Hotspur whilst also finding the net against champions Manchester City.
The duo will be integral to Arteta’s side once again this season, but if they are to go one further, the defence and attack will have to be on top form, potentially allowing two players to flourish in the process.
Saka & Martinelli’s stats for Arsenal in 2024/25
After a disappointing Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain, winger Bukayo Saka has started the new season like a man on a mission, determined to take his game to the next level in North London.
The 23-year-old has registered seven assists in his first seven league outings, also scoring on two occasions, including in the recent victory over Southampton at the Emirates.
Saka has contributed with the most combined goals and assists in the Gunners squad so far in 2024/25, with the Englishman looking to build on his tally of 25 goal contributions from last season.
As for Gabriel Martinelli, he’s often been the scapegoat in recent months, with many fans questioning his spot as a regular starter in North London.
However, the recent arrival of Raheem Sterling has appeared to spur the Brazilian on, as he’s demonstrated in recent weeks the talent that many know he’s capable of.
Like Saka, he scored in the recent Premier League victory, but he also registered a goal and two assists in his two previous league outings against Leicester and Manchester City.
The 23-year-old is almost halfway to his tally of goal contributions from last season, showcasing his impressive start to the new term as he looks to prove the doubters wrong in his attempts to help secure a league title for Arteta’s side.
However, despite the aforementioned duo’s recent form, there’s one man who’s failed to spark much excitement, and he’s amazingly earning more than both.
The man who earns more than Saka & Martinelli
Striker Gabriel Jesus has been a reliable source of goals for Arsenal over the past couple of seasons, scoring 19 times during his first two years in the capital.
However, he appears to have lost his goalscoring touch during the opening months of the new season, failing to score a single goal during the opening eight games he’s featured in throughout all competitions.
Jesus, who cost the Gunners a sizeable £45m from Pep Guardiola’s City back in the summer of 2022, started the meeting with Southampton on Saturday, but once again failed to impress, subsequently being replaced on the hour mark.
| Jesus’ stats vs Southampton | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | Tally |
| Minutes played | 60 |
| Touches | 20 |
| Passes completed | 9/13 (69%) |
| Possession lost | 4x |
| Shots taken | 3 |
| Times caught offside | 1 |
| Aerial duels won | 0/1 |
| Stats via SofaScore | |
He could only muster 20 touches, completing just nine passes throughout the encounter, whilst also giving possession away four times – looking wasteful in the final third.
You would undoubtedly expect higher quality from a player who currently earns a reported £265k-per-week, a huge chunk more than Saka and Martinelli, who only earn £195k-per-week and £180k-per-week respectively.
When combining his huge earnings alongside his big-money transfer fee, he’s already cost the club a whopping £72.5m, which works out to £3.8m per goal he’s scored during his time at the Emirates.
Given his huge earnings and lack of impact in recent times, Arteta could look to offload the Brazilian and identify a more effective number nine that could catapult his side to a league title this season.
A consistent and clinical number nine is what the Spaniard has been crying out for in recent years, with Jesus evidently not the man to fill that void, potentially seeing the Spaniard brutally parting ways with the striker to allow for added investment in the final third.