Mikel Arteta told to drop Arsenal star who 'hasn't been good enough' as replacement named

Mikel Arteta told to drop Arsenal star who 'hasn't been good enough' as replacement namedArsenal's shock 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth on Saturday has prompted calls for Mikel Arteta to make significant changes to his starting XI, as they risk letting the Premier League title slip awayCommentsSportNathan Ridley Senior Sports Reporter11:40, 12 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesGabriel Martinelli was particularly poor against Bournemouth(Image: Pedro Porru/MB Media/Getty Images)Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been told to drop Gabriel Martinelli in the wake of Saturday's disastrous 2-1 loss at home to Bournemouth. The Gunners missed the chance to go 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, as goals from Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott stunned the Emirates.‌Martinelli, 24, was one of several big-name players who underperformed and he was hauled off after just 54 minutes with the scores level. Arteta subbed off all three players who started behind striker Viktor Gyokeres, but his changes didn't come to fruition as Bournemouth grabbed a late winner.‌Teenager Max Dowman was among those replacements and despite failing an impact, ex-Premier League star Jay Bothroyd has urged Arteta to start the 16-year-old instead of Martinelli, who only touched the ball on nine occasions.‌Bothroyd told Sky Sports: "When I looked at that starting team today, I was thinking to myself, 'Okay, Martinelli made an assist during the week (against Sporting Lisbon). It was a great assist. But he hasn't been good enough this year'."WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football's greatest tournament - Buy the Special Edition todayREAD MORE: Premier League title race: What happens if Arsenal and Man City finish level on points?READ MORE: Premier League supercomputer predicts Arsenal WON'T win title after latest lossThe former striker, who was a product of Arsenal's academy, then said: "As far as I'm concerned, Max D...