Paul Merson has heaped great praise on Gabriel Martinelli for 'bouncing back' after previously struggling to impress for Arsenal. The 21-year-old was one of the Premier League's most dangerous forwards at the start of the season, directly contributing towards six goals in his first nine games.
However, during the first six weeks of the new year, he failed to reach the heights he once prided himself with. In that time, Martinelli featured eight times for the Gunners and registered just one assist.
After finding his confidence again with a goal off the bench against Aston Villa, the Brazil international has not only rejuvenated Arsenal's title race but also his performances. In a column for the the Daily Star, Merson hailed Martinelli for dragging himself out of a rut and the 'stepping up to the plate'.
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"The Gunners are the only team in the country that has two players in double figures this season in Martinelli and Bukayo Saka," the former Arsenal midfielder wrote. "That tells you everything within itself.
"Saka is a player that thrives on delivering in big moments He never scores the fifth goal in a 5-0 win, it’s always an equaliser or one that puts Arsenal ahead - I can’t talk highly enough of the bloke.
"The same applies to Martinelli, who really fell away and went off the boil just a few weeks ago. But the way he and Arsenal have bounced back has been nothing short of outstanding, these are still young players but they are stepping up to the plate when it really matters."
Merson continued by insisting that the Premier League title is Arsenal's to lose. He added: "Everything Arsenal have done so far this season has turned to gold - I just don't how they mess up the Premier League title from here, I really don't.
"Their next four domestic fixtures are very favourable. They've got Bournemouth at home, Fulham away, Crystal Palace and Leeds at home. If you win all four of those games and Manchester City also follow suit, you're five points clear with only nine games to play.
"That's hardly anything. Furthermore, City have some really tough fixtures to navigate and they also have the Champions League which has become an obsession for Pep Guardiola.
"That will take priority when we get into the nitty-gritty of the knockout stages and that will only work in Arsenal's favour. It's a major distraction."
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