Mikel Arteta would have been hoping to spend part of Arsenal ’s mid-season training camp in Dubai, with a new, high profile striker.
The Gunners spent much of January trying to land a new centre forward, with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Alexander Isak and Jonathan David all linked.
Ultimately, Arsenal were unable to bring in any reinforcements, despite allowing Folarin Balogun to join Middlesbrough on loan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave for Barcelona.
Aubameyang’s exit was the story of the January window, signifying how far his stock had fallen in north London after being stripped of the captaincy in December.
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The former skipper was allowed to leave on a free transfer, such was the desperation from all sides to complete a deal.
Those two exits leave Arteta with just Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as options to lead the line, coming off the back of a month which saw Arsenal score just once.
But ahead of the next batch of Premier League fixtures, Arteta is reportedly preparing to execute his long-term plan for Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian has been one of the standout Arsenal players this term, firmly establishing himself as a starter on the left wing.
However, according to Football.London, much of his time in the Dubai camp has seen the 20-year-old playing in all three positions of the forward line, including through the middle.
Arteta has eased Martinelli into the fold following a serious knee injury and hinted recently that his understanding of the game is enabling him to step up a level.
"[Martinelli's] overall understanding of the game is getting much better," Arteta said last month. "He’s able to put some gears into his play."
And the Spaniard has already made it clear that he believes Martinelli’s future lies in being a No.9, rather than a forward that cuts in from the left.
“[Aubameyang and Martinelli] are centre forwards but with the squad balance that we have at the moment, to play on those positions on the left we don’t have five players,” he has previously explained.
The player himself suggested his preferred position was out wide, but is happy to play in any position for the good of the team.
“I like to play open and I play quite centrally, but I prefer to start wide,” he told the popular Brazilian YouTube channel Bolivia Talk Show. “But my preference is always just to play, centre-half, full-back, goalkeeper, I just want to play.”
And needs must for the Gunners, who return to Premier League action against top four rivals Wolves next Thursday.
Moving inside could also open the possibilities for Emile Smith Rowe to come back into the lineup to form an exciting trio along with Bukayo Saka.
