In the first of a number of signings in the 2019 summer transfer window, Arsenal completed the signing of Gabriel Martinelli for a figure of £6m from Brazilian fourth division side Ituano. It is a common misconception that Edu discovered Martinelli – in fact, it was our former head of international scouting Francis Cagigao that spent months scouting Gabi, recommending him to Arsenal, and then beating off the competition to get his signature.
Martinelli’s first season at Arsenal:
‘He’s a talent of the century, he’s an incredible striker.’
Following the thrilling 5-5 draw in the Carabao Cup back in 2019, Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for Gabriel Martinelli, who cooly slotted in a brace on his Anfield debut playing at center forward.
It might have come against a relatively inexperienced Liverpool side, but it is worth pointing out that Gabi was just 18 years himself, coming to England from the Brazilian fourth division side, Ituano.
Martinelli’s stellar form in the Europa League and Carabao Cup soon translated into the Premier League. Arsenal were on a run of 6 games without a league win and were going to face West Ham at the London stadium. Caretaker manager Freddie Ljungberg gave Martinelli his first league start.
At halftime, West Ham were leading 1-0 and the performance by us was extremely poor. Up steps Martinelli who finished beautifully to spark a comeback, as we went on the win the game 3-1.
When we went to Stamford Bridge, we were once again trailing by 1 goal and to make things worse went down to 10 men. Straight from a corner, Martinelli ran the length of the pitch to cooly slot home past Kepa. An 18-year-old striker playing in a team with 10 men against a big 6 team away from home (with crowds) clawed us back into the game. This does not happen often – it showed that Martinelli wasn’t ‘just another talent.’
Up until Project Restart, Martinelli had 14 goal contributions (10 goals, 4 assists) in 1463 minutes, averaging a goal contribution roughly every 105 minutes which is incredible for any player, let alone one who is 18.
Martinelli’s pressing is off the charts
Ronaldinho, speaking to The Mirror, was full of praise for Martinelli:
“We as Brazilians are very excited about him and his future. It is one thing to have the talent – but another at the age of 18 to have the confidence. He reminds me of Ronaldo his first season in Europe, he scored 30 goals and people were thinking: ‘who is this 18-year-old Brazilian kid?’ He wanted the ball, he would run at players, there was no fear no matter what players or team he was playing against – and I see that similar attitude in Martinelli. He just wants to be on the ball and score goals. Ronaldo went on to be the best player in the world – and that can also be the aim of Martinelli.”
Over and above the goals and stunning moments, the Arsenal fanbase warmed up to Martinelli due to his work ethic. Ljungberg compared him to a battery and he fits that description perfectly.
His first season at the club was curtailed by a knee injury he suffered in training which ruled him out till the end of 2020.
This was a huge blow to Gabi who had been an important player under Arteta – despite being left out of the starting 11 in the 3 games preceding project restart, he was progressing in a really good way and was a vital member of the group.
Return from injury:
While Arsenal went on to win an FA Cup, the team did not start well this season and had a major dip in the Premier league between November-December. Just like last season, we went on a run of 6 league games without a win.
Martinelli was just coming back from his injury, probably at 50% of his usual capacity, and in his first start which was in the Carabao Cup against Manchester City – he immediately provided an assist for Alexandre Lacazette and was arguably our best player of the half. However, Martinelli felt discomfort and had to be substituted at halftime.
Now comes the ‘season changing’ game against Chelsea. Martinelli did not register a goal or assist, but his influence was there for all to see. He demonstrated exceptional energy with his pressing and was always a threat on the ball, causing Reece James all sorts of problems – Arsenal went on to win 3-1. This was his second start after a 6-month injury layoff and he makes an impact straight away.
I find this stat unbelievable – 2 seasons in a row, we are 6 games without a win in the league. Martinelli starts the 7th game and we win. It isn’t just a coincidence for me. In each of those runs, the team played with fear and their heads dropped which translated in terms of how we were pressing and the general intensity. Martinelli does not let those factors influence him. He only plays in one gear – that’s what makes him so unique.
Arteta’s management of Martinelli:
When Arteta first took over at Arsenal, Martinelli did have his chances in the league and cup competitions – but there’s been an element of caution on Arteta’s part to not overplay Gabi.
Some fans seem to construe it as ‘Arteta doesn’t rate Martinelli.’ That cannot be further away from the truth.
As soon as Martinelli came back from his injury, he got rushed back and started 3 back to back games – against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Brighton. This was at a time when we were desperate for results and it comes as no surprise that Arteta turned to Martinelli. He was then rested for the West Brom game and saved for the FA Cup tie against Newcastle.
Unfortunately, Martinelli got injured during the warm-up of the Newcastle game and since this incident, he’s been used sparingly, with Arteta calling for patience insisting that we’ll have to ease him in:
“He is a player that is going to give us a lot, but we need some time to find the right games for him and the right connections with him on the pitch so that he can do what he does best. But the way he is and the way he trains every day, he is going to be a really important player for us, no doubt.”
Martinelli’s long term position:
Under Arteta, Martinelli has predominantly been used as the left forward. However, Mikel was quick to point out last year that Gabi’s position lies down the middle. In recent days, footage has emerged of Arteta doing individual training drills with Martinelli in what very much seemed like preparation to play as the central striker.
For me, this is his best position. There is something very instinctive about the way Martinelli moves in the box. Doing punditry for BT Sport, Van Persie was waxing lyrical on Martinelli:
“He’s very technical. He looks very good & he is only 18 years old. It’s a joy watching him. The moves he makes, he is always looking for space. I was playing on the wing at that age. With time he will get even better”
Look, normally I wouldn’t care about what RvP has to say, but he was a very good player and his assessment holds a lot of weight as he made that transition from wide forward to down the middle himself – something Martinelli is in the process of doing.
As you can see in that Pressures Vs Regains graph, Martinelli’s pressures and ball-winning qualities are on another level. This makes him the ideal candidate to lead the press from the middle – in a similar way Luis Suarez does.
As per a report by Chris Wheatley: ‘Martinelli has been taking individual sessions – a non-compulsory option – to improve his shooting with Arteta holding the view that he has the potential to play as a center-forward in the long-term.’
Via @aej11x
Martinelli’s most successful games for Arsenal have come at centre forward. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had a chance to play there in the league yet, but Arteta opting to use him there as a substitute in the first leg against Benfica indicates to me that it’ll eventually translate in the league too.
The opportunity will come:
At the end of the season, it is looking increasingly likely that Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah, and Flo Balogun will all leave. It represents an opportunity for Gabi. Now even if one or two of them were to stay, I still firmly believe Gabi will play because he is that good and will add huge value to us.
Martinelli, speaking to FourFourTwo magazine last year, stated:
“I want to win the Champions League and lots of domestic titles to make Arsenal’s fans very happy. They deserve the best – not only the supporters but all of the club’s staff. I’d like to give back to the club after everything they’ve done for me so far and, as a result, become a Gunners legend.”
Judging by the evidence, Martinelli will take his chances with both hands – he has everything to become an Arsenal great, and I, for one am excited to watch his development. We must be patient and soon, we’ll reap the rewards.
See you in the comments!