Martinelli dubbed Arsenal’s best finisher since Henry by club insiders as starlet makes Man Utd regret snub
GABRIEL MARTINELLI is the first teenager since Nicolas Anelka to get ten Arsenal goals in a season. And the Brazilian is already outscoring Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe — who cost a combined £125million. ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for all the latest on the Gunners No wonder Gunners fans are getting so excited about the 18-year-old who is making mugs […]
GABRIEL MARTINELLI is the first teenager since Nicolas Anelka to get ten Arsenal goals in a season.
And the Brazilian is already outscoring Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe — who cost a combined £125million.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for all the latest on the Gunners
No wonder Gunners fans are getting so excited about the 18-year-old who is making mugs of both Barcelona and Manchester United.
When Martinelli ran the length of the pitch to score at Chelsea on Tuesday night, it was his tenth goal in just 11 starts for his new team.
Club insiders are already talking about him being their most clinical finisher since Thierry Henry while Ian Wright has been giving him tips after getting in touch on Instagram.
Which makes it all the more puzzling as to how both Barca and United had Martinelli over from Brazil for lengthy trials without signing him up.
But their loss has been Arsenal’s gain after they were able to snap him up for a mere £6m from Brazilian minnows Ituano in the summer.
That deal was set up at the beginning of last year but delayed for six months while the youngster obtained the necessary work permits.
Holding an Italian passport through his father Joao’s background helped to speed up that process.
From the moment he knew he was going to be moving to the Premier League, he started to learn English and is already able to converse with his new team-mates.
He has struck up a close friendship with Argentine keeper Emi Martinez while fellow Brazilian David Luiz has taken the talented youngster under his wing.
Yet in spite of Martinelli’s dazzling form, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is keen to keep a lid on Emirates expectations.
He knows only too well how Gedion Zelalem, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Fran Merida, Jon Toral, Yaya Sanogo, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Krystian Bielik all failed to make the Arsenal grade after being hailed as the next big thing.
But Martinelli’s team-mates are convinced this kid is no flash-in-the-pan and Hector Bellerin says: “There are not many 18-year-olds with Gabi’s talent.
“If he keeps his head where it is now, he is going to go far for sure.
“People talk about talent, but what they don’t see is his professionalism.
“He turns up early for training every day, he does all the stuff he is asked to, he’s the first player to press from the front and the last player to leave everything on the pitch.
“He helps us in every single way and his goals are just a bonus.
“So the thing that everyone needs to praise him for is his attitude because that’s what makes him a proper player.”
Arsenal legend Wright, who scored 185 goals in seven years at Highbury, has no doubts that Martinelli is the real deal.
He revealed: “I’ve been in contact with him through texts and on Instagram.
“I’ve got a broad spectrum of experience that I can share with him and I just tell him things like, ‘Good movement, keep getting yourself in the box, make your near-post runs’.
“I scored a lot of slide-ins and it’s good to see an 18-year-old with that same hunger and determination to score goals.
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“I think Jadon Sancho is the only teenager in the top five leagues who has scored more goals than Martinelli so he’s definitely got something in him.
“The way he moves around the area, he’s going to score goals if Arsenal can continue to create chances.
“We’re lucky to have him and if he carries on improving the way he is, then it’s going to be very difficult for them to keep hold of him.”
