Mikel Arteta Calls for Gabriel Martinelli Patience: 'We Have to Bring Him Down'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said he doesn't want to put too much pressure on young forward Gabriel Martinelli following his excellent start to life at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners signed the Brazilian from Ituano in the summer, and he was anticipated to play a minor role in north London this season. However, Martinelli has made rapid progress, culminating in a brilliant solo goal in his side's 2-2 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's meeting with Bournemouth in the FA Cup fourth round on Monday, Arteta said he's wary of demanding too much, too soon from the 18-year-old, per FourFourTwo:

"I would like to talk about potential, more than what it is at the moment, because for him there is still a long way.

"The stature of this club, to give him the key to do that straight away is not fair on him. We have to bring him down. I want him to train with his head down every day hard, and slowly he will start to earn the praise if he does what he needs to do every day, but it is not about one or two days."

Arteta also said he'd "heard a lot of things" about the forward before he was appointed manager of the Gunners in December.

Martinelli's goal against Chelsea summed up why so many Arsenal supporters are excited over his potential, as he showed remarkable speed and composure to net at Stamford Bridge:

Per Squawka Football, it's been a long time since a forward so young was able to have this big an impact at Arsenal:

With Nicolas Pepe arriving for a club-record fee in the summer to join the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as attacking options for the Gunners, it was expected that Martinelli would be a long way down the pecking order.

However, he has been able to adapt to his new surroundings brilliantly, excelling in the cup competitions and more recently the Premier League.

ESPN FC noted that Martinelli's productivity ranks alongside some of the standout goalscorers in the English game:

Martinelli has also showcased aerial strength and a positive work ethic out of possession, and Arsenal skipper Aubameyang thinks the Brazilian is destined for big things:

With the captain suspended for the match with Bournemouth on Monday, it will be interesting to see whether Arteta does opt to start the teenager again, despite the calls for patience over his development.

After goals in his past two matches, he will surely be desperate to feature. However, if Arteta does leave him out of the side, it may indicate he views Martinelli as a key part of his best XI moving forward, with Premier League results potentially taking precedence.