Kevin Campbell admits he didn’t want Gabriel Martinelli to start Arsenal win

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Kevin Campbell has told Highbury Squad that he was hoping that Gabriel Martinelli would be left out of Arsenal’s starting lineup for their clash with Brighton on Tuesday.

Martinelli has recently returned to the fold after several months on the sidelines. He came off the bench during the defeat to Everton this month.

Mikel Arteta subsequently promoted him to the starting lineup for the Carabao Cup tie against Manchester City. And he kept his place for the superb win over Chelsea on Boxing Day.

Given how long he has been sidelined, many Arsenal fans may have expected  Martinelli to be one of those taken out of the side for the trip to Brighton just a few days later.

However, the Brazilian started once again. And while he was not quite able to make the same impact, Arsenal did manage to make it back-to-back wins.

Campbell hinted that Martinelli’s performance came as little surprise to him as he would have left him on the bench initially for the clash with the Seagulls.

“You could see a little drop off in Martinelli yesterday,” he told the Highbury Squad. “That’s why I didn’t want him to play.

“I wanted him to come on from the bench where he’s got devastating speed and energy, and he can use it in such a short time. But he wants to play. He gave it his all. But he’s been out a long time with a serious injury, so we have to take that into consideration.”

It would be little surprise if plenty of Arsenal fans held a similar view on starting Martinelli. It is already clear what he can do when he is at his best.

He has made a tremendous impact since returning to the fold. And his return seems to have given the rest of the squad a considerable lift.

It was potentially a gamble for Arteta to start him therefore. But with another three points in the bag and Martinelli – who earns £90,000-a-week, according to Spotrac – seemingly coming through the game unscathed, it does appear that the risk has not backfired.