Just when they thought things were beginning to go their way this season, Arsenal suffered another setback over the weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s side took on Fulham with the intention of closing the gap between themselves and Premier League leaders Liverpool, but came away with just a single point after putting in a seriously disappointing display.
There were poor performers across the pitch for the Gunners, but the left wing was particularly dire, with neither Leandro Trossard nor Gabriel Martinelli offering much.
What makes this situation all the more frustrating is the fact that a player sold by the club in 2019 is now outscoring the pair of them.
Arsenal's 2019 sales
Before getting to the player in question, let’s look at how a few of the other departures from that summer have got on since, starting with midfield dynamo Aaron Ramsey.
The Welshman joined Italian giants Juventus on a free that summer but unfortunately failed to make a significant impact in Turin.
After 70 mostly substitute appearances across three seasons and a short-term loan to Rangers, the Caerphilly-born star joined OGC Nice for free.
He was given more game time in France, but after just a season, he rejoined boyhood side Cardiff City, where he remains today, although recurrent injuries have limited him to just 17 appearances since last summer.
Someone who’s had a bit more success since leaving the Emirates is Danny Welbeck, who also left for free and opted to move to Watford.
However, he only spent a season in Hertfordshire before his contract was terminated, at which point he made the brilliant decision to join Brighton & Hove Albion, where he’s been since.
In all, the former Arsenal forward has scored 32 goals and provided ten assists in 141 appearances for the Seagulls.
However, this season, his tally stands at an impressive six goals and two assists in 14 league games, which is a similar level of output to the player in question.
The former Arsenal star outscoring Martinelli & Trossard
So, while Welbeck and Ramsey left for free in 2019, Arsenal were able to make some money from departures, including the player in question, Alex Iwobi.
Yes, the Nigerian international, who came up through the Hale End academy, was finally sold that summer for a pretty sizable fee: £35m.
The Lagos-born dynamo had been a reliable, if unremarkable, performer for the club for quite some time, but when Everton made that offer, it felt too good to turn down, so the club decided to cash in on an academy product.
During his time at Goodison Park, the 28-year-old dynamo made 140 first-team appearances, in which he scored nine goals and provided 16 assists, but in September 2023, he returned to London, joining Fulham for £22m, including add-ons.
Since then, the “exceptional” talent, as dubbed by Statman Dave, has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 50 appearances, but this season has seen him reach another level.
For example, in just 17 appearances, he’s found the back of the net five times and provided three assists for good measure, mainly from the left wing, which makes the comparisons to Martinelli and Trossard so interesting.
In contrast, the Belgian has only scored four goals and provided two assists in 20 appearances, while the Brazilian has done marginally better, racking up four goals and three assists in as many games.
Appearances
17
20
20
Goals
5
4
4
Assists
3
2
3
Goal Involvements*
0.47
0.30
0.35
Ultimately, Martinelli and Trossard have shown in the past that they can reach the level required by Arteta and Arsenal, but so far this season, the pair of them are being outscored and outperformed by Iwobi.
So, while the club did well to get the money they did for him in 2019, it would have been interesting to see how he’d have got on in this system.
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