Arsenal have confirmed their first signing of the summer transfer window with Marquinhos joining from Brazilian club Sao Paulo.
The north London outfit have been linked with a number of players since the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign with a striker, a central midfielder and a versatile full-back a top priority for Mikel Arteta this summer - but clearly this deal for the 19-year-old shows the club are also building towards a bright future.
Amid links to Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Youri Tielemans and Raphinha, it is Marquinhos who is the newest addition at the Emirates Stadium as confirmation of this £3m transfer came via the club's official website and various social media platforms on Monday afternoon.
READ MORE: Gabriel Martinelli sends five-word message to new signing after Arsenal confirm transfer
"Nineteen-year-old forward Marquinhos has joined us from Sao Paulo on a long-term contract," a statement read on Arsenal.com. "The young Brazilian youth international, full name Marcus Vinicius Oliveira Alencar, developed through the Sao Paulo youth system, progressing into the first-team squad and making his first-team debut as an 18-year-old last July.
"Marquinhos made 33 first-team appearances during his time with Sao Paulo and was a part of the squad which won the Compeonato Paulista in 2021. The young forward, who has represented Brazil at under-16 and under-17 levels, will travel to London from Brazil in the coming weeks to join up with his new teammates for pre-season training."
Meanwhile, Arsenal technical director Edu delivered his verdict on the deal and suggested that Marquinhos is one for the future.
"We’re delighted to have completed the transfer with Sao Paulo, as Marquinhos was a player we had been watching for a while," he added. "At 19, he is still very young, so he is a player for the future. We look forward to Marquinhos now joining us for pre-season, making his new home, and continuing to grow and develop with us."
Those comments from Edu are rather interesting as there was a similar plan in place for Gabriel Martinelli after he joined Arsenal from another Brazilian club in Ituano in the summer of 2019. In fact, it was reported by football.london at the time, he was effectively on trial during his first month at the club.
Initially, Martinelli wasn't expected to feature in the first-team immediately under then-head coach Unai Emery. But after impressing in training, he was included in the pre-season tour squad to the United States, scored on his debut and left the Spaniard with no other choice but to hand him more chances.
"We have a big commitment with young players from our own academy and also from our scouts," Emery said at the time. "Martinelli is a young player and at the moment he is training very well with us. We want to do one process with him, it started two weeks ago with us training and playing matches. We are going to work with him on this progress, giving him chances and if he deserves more minutes he will get them."
This proved to be the case as Martinelli made his Premier League bow on the opening weekend of the 2019/20 season, was fast-tracked into the senior squad where he was also given the Europa League and Carabao Cup stage to showcase his talents and responded with 10 goals across all competitions in his debut campaign.
Whilst Marquinhos is a different player to Martinelli, the situation is similar. With the club confirming the former will be joining up with his new teammates for pre-season training, there's a chance to emulate what his compatriot did within weeks of arriving in England from Brazil.
If the 19-year-old can catch Arteta's eye during those early training sessions, he could then be included in the squad that travels out to Germany next month for the first trip abroad or the United States tour a week later where games against Everton and Chelsea would test where he's at in his development.
Should he be included on either tour there will be chances for Marquinhos to impress and if he takes those chances the Europa League door may open for him at the start of next season, which could be his pathway to breaking into the first-team picture at Arsenal.
