Arsenal Regret As Gabriel Martinelli Scores 32-Minute Hat-Trick

· GiveMeSport

Mikel Arteta allowed Gabriel Martinelli to leave Arsenal this summer and the striker is flourishing in Saudi Arabia.

Arsenal edged past a bolshy Sunderland side on Saturday night, needing heroics from David Raya in between the sticks to ensure all three points came back to London.

Mikel Arteta's side look the real deal this season, with four wins from four to kickstart the campaign, but there is still some bedding in to be done after the summer transfer window.

The Spanish manager has a wealth of attacking talent to fit into his XI, despite having failed to recruit a centre-forward, and is also managing the promise of £34 million man Christos Tzolis. Amid all of that, as the season continues, just perhaps Arsenal may regret allowing Gabriel Martinelli to leave the club.

Martinelli spent seven years at Arsenal before a £55 million deal was agreed with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. The Brazilian plundered 62 goals and picked up 36 assists during his time with the Gunners, but found a place in the starting XI hard to come by last season.

The arrival of Tzolis from Club Brugge pushed the 25-year-old down the pecking order and Martinelli was shown the exit door this summer, with just another 12 months left on his contract.

The winger left North London with the love of Arsenal fans, and with the best wishes of the club. It felt like the right moment for the player to move on, but his start to life in Saudi Arabia may lead the Gunners to regret the move.

Martinelli made his third appearance for Al-Hilal on Saturday, and the former Arsenal man stole the show with a 32-minute hat-trick against Al-Taawoun in a 6-0 triumph.

The forward grabbed his first in the 18th minute, reacting quickly to a loose ball inside the area. A second came thanks to a ball from former Aston Villa man Ollie Watkins in the 43rd minute and the hat-trick was completed five minutes into the second half, thanks to a low delivery from ex West Ham man Crysencio Summerville.

It was a hat-trick that showed Martinelli at his diligent best - the type of bustling performance that had become few and far between during his latter years at Arsenal.

Arsenal supporters won't rush to be nostalgic for the type of performance that Martinelli had not regularly shown for Arsenal in recent years, but it ultimately points to a forward who knows where the back of the net is.

Tzolis looks full of promise, but is yet to find his first goal for the club. Bukayo Saka just about managed to squeeze home a penalty late on against Sunderland, but has come under fire for a lack of cutting edge at times so far this season. Meanwhile, Noni Madueke missed a sitter against Napoli in midweek.

The wins keep coming for Arsenal, but with three one-goal margins in their last four, a greater potency is needed. If Arteta's current stars struggle to find that, watching Martinelli continue to bag goals in Saudi Arabia may become painful viewing.

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