Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri were seen watching from a distance as Arsenal's squad celebrated their Community Shield victory, prompting many fans to believe the duo are on their way out of the club.
The two attackers were not named in the matchday squad for the clash against Manchester City in Cardiff, failing to even make the substitutes bench. Managers were restricted to naming nine substitutes at the Principality Stadium, a rule that Mikel Arteta described himself as 'saddened' by and wants changed.
Arteta's squad frustration
'Really sad to not have their availability,' the Arsenal head coach told TNT Sports ahead of kick-off. '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.'
Arsenal coped without the pair, with Riccardo Calafiori scoring after 23 seconds. Kai Havertz and captain Martin Odegaard added further goals to beat a Manchester City side led by Enzo Maresca in his first official match in charge.
Celebration video fuels exit talk
A fan-filmed video circulating among Arsenal supporters shows Martinelli and Nwaneri standing away from their team-mates during the trophy celebrations, until Gabriel Magalhaes persuaded them to join in.
'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 fan wrote on X. Another 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 supporter, while another added: 'Oh my days, it's actually over.' Widely followed page Talking Highbury 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.'
Transfer speculation
Galatasaray and Napoli have been credited with interest in Martinelli, one of Arsenal's longest-serving players since joining from Ituano in 2019. Nwaneri, a Hale End product, has been linked with AC Milan. Arteta has not ruled out a move for the youngster.
'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. 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 the final 12 months of his contract, while Nwaneri has four years remaining on his current deal at the Emirates.
