Ademola Lookman is the kind of forward Arsenal are crying out for. On a night when the Gunners needed sharpness in the final third, what they got was blunt frustration.
Ousmane Dembélé’s early strike sealed a 1–0 win for PSG at the Emirates, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side staring down the barrel in their quest for a first Champions League final since 2006.
The noise before kickoff was thunderous. This was Arsenal’s first semi-final at this level in 16 years. But as quickly as it rose, it was silenced, cut down by one clean strike and a performance that fell short of the occasion.
Martinelli’s misfire and a familiar problem
Gabriel Martinelli had a night to forget. The Brazilian’s decision-making was erratic, his touch uncertain, and his movement a half-step off.
He was found wanting in all the wrong moments, caught offside, losing possession under little pressure, and squandering golden chances from a Saka cross and from a Myles Lewis-Skelly through ball.
That wasn’t a poor night. It was a sobering one. Arsenal need more than energy and enthusiasm on the left. They need end product.
While Martinelli floundered, Bukayo Saka held the torch. Every Arsenal flicker of hope ran through him. He twisted PSG’s defence in knots, carried the ball through tight spaces, and created the game’s best chances. But brilliance in isolation only gets you so far.
Lookman the answer to Arsenal’s one-dimensional attack
With 50 goals in 115 appearances for Atalanta and a trophy-laden season behind him, the Nigerian international is the type of attacking addition Arsenal badly need.
He’s not just a scorer; he’s an agent of chaos able to stretch defences, beat men off the dribble and finish with either foot. He is everything Martinelli promises but hasn’t yet delivered consistently. Arsenal’s left side has grown stale and predictable.
Lookman, with his sharp movements and directness, offers unpredictability, something that makes defenders second-guess and opens up space for others.
Atalanta know what they have and won’t let him go cheaply. A price tag of €60–65 million is steep, but so is ambition. Barcelona and Juventus have circled, but their financial hands are tied. Arsenal can move freely and should.
No Lookman in Paris, but Arsenal’s future demands one
Only two clubs have ever reached a Champions League final after losing the first leg of a semi-final at home. Arsenal are chasing ghosts. But ghosts don’t back down from reputations; they’re exorcised by players who rise to the occasion.
For now, Arsenal will have to do it the hard way. There will be no Ademola Lookman in Paris. No electric shift in gear from the left. If they make the final, he still won’t be there. They’ll go again with Gabriel Martinelli, for better or worse.
📸 – MARTINELLI SHOULD HAVE SCORED HERE BUT DONNARUMMA STOOD IN THE WAY! pic.twitter.com/FF2E4flOND
— The Touchline | Football Coverage (@TouchlineX) April 29, 2025
But when the dust settles and plans for next season are laid, the message should be clear: if Arsenal want to live among the big boys, they must stop waiting for Martinelli to become something he’s not.
Lookman is the right peg in the right hole. Proven, polished, and primed. The kind of signing that shifts ceilings, not just tactics.
