Arsenal needs to get rid of a 3/10 player who performed worse than Odegaard after losing the ball 19 times.
And just like that, Arsenal’s season has ended in crushing disappointment.
Mikel Arteta’s side started strong against Paris Saint-Germain last night, but despite an impressive early effort, two goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi sealed their fate, ending their hopes of reaching only their second Champions League final.
Bukayo Saka’s late goal was a glimmer of hope, but it was too little too late. Once again, Arsenal fell short when it counted, lacking ideas and composure for much of the game.
Although the overall performance wasn’t awful, some players, including Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, and another who must be let go this summer, disappointed.
Arsenal’s weakest players vs PSG Like the team as a whole, Odegaard and Martinelli started with promise, with the former forcing a brilliant save from Gianluigi Donnarumma and the latter finding space past his markers. However, both faded as the match wore on, with The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid calling Odegaard’s second-half performance “completely anonymous,” and Martinelli’s contributions were similarly lackluster.
It may seem harsh, but this assessment is shared by others, with Alex Turk of the Express criticizing both players severely. He gave Odegaard a 4/10 and Martinelli a 3/10, noting that the Norwegian tends to “disappear in crucial games,” while Martinelli was “invisible” and “not at the required level.”
Their poor showings are reflected in their statistics: Odegaard accumulated a meager expected goal and assist figure of just 0.22, while Martinelli failed all his crosses and lost half of his ground duels.
However, despite their struggles, there’s still potential in keeping both players for next season, which cannot be said for another disappointing Arsenal player.
The Arsenal player who must be sold While William Saliba and Mikel Merino also had poor performances, neither should be sold in the summer. Thomas Partey, however, should be. The former Atlético Madrid player missed the first leg of the tie due to an off-field incident but contributed little in the second leg, offering only underwhelming long throws.
Although he started the game relatively well, Partey became a liability as it progressed, losing possession at an alarming rate, including during Hakimi’s decisive goal.
Again, this may seem harsh, but others share the disappointment, with Turk rating him just 3/10 and Catterson-Reid describing his performance as “so so bad.”
Partey’s statistics speak for themselves: in 95 minutes, he completed just 31 passes, misfired two of three crosses, and struggled in duels, losing the ball 19 times and being dribbled past once.
Such a display makes any talk of offering him a new contract appear ridiculous, and with him turning 32 in the summer, there’s little reason to expect improvement.
In the end, while some players put in an effort, too many, including Partey, fell short, and it’s time for him to be thanked for his service and moved on this summer.
