Gabriel Martinelli has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season with Arsenal – so good, in fact, that he may have set the wheels in motion for a bumper new contract.
The 21-year-old forward is the talk of the town in the red half of north London after starring in the action-packed 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday, which sent Arsenal back top of the Premier League and helped cement their status as genuine title contenders.
Martinelli was at the forefront of everything good Mikel Arteta’s side did against Liverpool. He opened the scoring within a minute, set up Bukayo Saka for their second goal and tormented the visitors’ defence throughout. He now has four goals and two assists in nine Premier League appearances this season.
That sort of impact does not go unnoticed. Not by his own team, or by opponents. Arsenal are riding the crest of a wave – one created by talented young players like Martinelli – and they are well aware they need to act fast to keep up the momentum.
Martinelli, Saka and William Saliba have been central figures in the early stages of the season. They are all just 21 years old. Arsenal want to tie each of them down to new contracts, in order to build around them for years to come.
That is a prudent strategy, but it will cost them. Talks are underway with the representatives of all three players, but Martinelli’s stellar performance against Liverpool has thrust his future into the spotlight for the time being.
The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal will need to increase his wages from the current figure of around £70,000 per week to over £200,000 if they are to tie down the Brazilian. That figure would put him in line with the club’s top-earners Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey – and ward off interest from rival clubs.
Chelsea have been keeping an eye on him, while Liverpool – and their manager Jurgen Klopp in particular – are known admirers. Klopp has previously described Martinelli as the “talent of the century”, an “incredible striker” and “such a talented boy”.
After seeing Martinelli score twice in a 5-5 Carabao Cup thriller at Anfield in late 2019, when he was just 18 years old, he began the public courting. "He's really unbelievable," Klopp said. "So young, looks so mature already, is a proper threat. Yeah, he looks like a really decent player.”
Martinelli is currently under contract with Arsenal until June 2024, while the club also hold the option to extend that deal for a further year. The need is therefore not desperate and the Gunners are understood to be relaxed about the situation. Arsenal paid just £6million to sign the forward from Brazilian side Ituano back in 2019, but Martinelli is now worth a great deal more than that.
His pace, dribbling ability, composure and maturity make him the perfect modern player – and one who could easily be seen fitting into the front line of Chelsea or Liverpool. Thankfully for Arsenal fans, the man himself is not looking to move on just yet.
"I think it’s my best season here at Arsenal,” Martinelli said after the Liverpool win. “I’m so happy for this moment. Of course, I want to stay. We are talking. Let’s see what is going to happen. But I want to stay, of course."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Arsenal fork out £200,000-a-week to keep Gabriel Martinelli? Comment below.
He added: “Everyone can see our hunger and our mentality. We want to win every single game. I am so happy to be playing alongside players like Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.
"You can see the understanding we have together but we have a lot of time to improve. We have great quality and I think we can do more. Gabby is a great guy, not just on the pitch but off it as well. He is always trying to help me. He is only 25 but he has a lot of experience and everyone loves him."
The feeling is certainly mutual. Speaking to Sky Sports after the clash with Liverpool, Arteta said: “Obviously, when you see what he was when he started a year ago against Brentford, to what he is today.
“The development is just phenomenal. But it’s his hunger, his desire, how much he loves to play, to train, to get better every single day. It’s a nightmare to play against him. The same with Bukayo and Gabi [Jesus] up front, we have a real threat up front, we know that, teams and players are respecting us on that.”
Of course, the fact Arsenal are winning helps. Martinelli is unlikely to have his head turned while his side are top of the league and playing scintillating football. Positivity is radiating from Arsenal at the moment and Martinelli seems delighted to be a part of it.
“We have a young group, we have a lot of time ahead of us, players with a lot of quality, I think we will achieve great things,” he told ESPN Brazil earlier this year. “Our focus is the Champions League. Fighting for that top four. A club like Arsenal has to be in the Champions League. It’s our total focus.
“We always want more. Of course, Arsenal are a giant team. If I can, I’ll stay here my whole life. I want to conquer things, as I said, I want to stay here and win titles, with these wonderful fans, my teammates.”
Arsenal hope that, rather than losing him to a direct rival, Martinelli can be a major part of their successful attempts to win those titles in the coming years.
