Gabriel Martinelli possesses the ability to make many an Arsenal fan weak at the knees when appreciating some of the footballing trickery of a talented winger. Well, it does for me at least. Yet there is a growing sense of anxiousness that has begun to grow, especially when the 20-year-old is performing in the famous blue and yellow of Brazil.
Martinelli earned his first call-up to the senior Brazilian national side and was brought off the bench in both 4-0 wins over Chile and Bolivia. However, it was in the latter fixture that the Arsenal youngster caught the eye of viewers with a brilliant pirouette before chipping the ball agonising wide of the goal.
Arsenal have seen first-hand the level of flair Gabriel Martinelli can give to the team. Just out of his teenage years, the former Ituano man has five goals and three assists this season in the Premier League already. He has fought with Emile Smith-Rowe and become a trusted starter in Mikel Arteta’s side.
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The worry for Arsenal and their fans is that now on the elite stage and playing for the Brazilian national side, this is going to garner plenty of attention. Jurgen Klopp has already made no secret of his admiration for Martinelli.
“He’s really unbelievable. So young, looks so mature already, is a proper threat. Yeah, he looks like a really decent player. I didn’t want to put any backpack [pressure] on his back with this thing [his earlier remarks] but I just really like good football players and obviously, he’s a very good one,” Klopp said in 2019.
The German coach again brought up the young Brazilian of his own accord in a press conference after the 2-0 win at the Emirates that saw Liverpool progress to the Carabao Cup final. “Martinelli by the way...everybody should remember that name,” Klopp said. “Outstanding player.”
The fact of the matter is if Martinelli’s stock keeps rising then clubs from all over will be queuing up to offer him a deal. Arsenal will be reluctant to sell and his improved contract signed in 2020 certainly levelled him up financially with his teammates in the starting eleven.
His current deal expires in 2024 although the club do have an option of an additional year through to 2025. This gives the club plenty of control over the situation. However, Martinelli has already spoken positively about his potential long-term future with Arsenal. Speaking recently, he verbally committed himself to the club.
"We always want more. Of course, Arsenal are a giant team. If I can, I'll stay here my whole life,” Martinelli told ESPN. "I want to conquer things. I already said I want to stay here and win titles, with this wonderful crowd, my teammates. 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."
More of that, please. This is the type of messaging that Arsenal fans need to hear from their stars. For too long Arsenal were trapped in this purgatory state of top four survival whilst seeing their best players leave.
Granted the club has taken steps backwards in recent seasons competitively, but the outcome might be overwhelmingly positive thanks to the preparation. Qualifying for the Champions League would give even more incentive for players like Martinelli to stay and convince world-class talent that Arsenal is the place to flourish.
Arteta will be counting on Martinelli’s flair for the final ten games. He, along with his young teammates, have their ambitions in their own hands. Now they need to achieve it.
