Arsenal summer signing, Gabriel Martinelli till now, was viewed as “one for the future” but he showed on Tuesday why Unai Emery chose to keep him on this season.
There were talks of sending the Brazilian attacker out on loan this term given the strong presence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe in attack.
However, the teenager impressed Emery enough in pre-season, coming close to scoring plenty of times. With a youngster like Reiss Nelson faltering with his senior team opportunities and Eddie Nketiah out on loan, this is Martinelli’s time to shine and boy, has he announced himself with a bang.
The 18-year-old grabbed a brace in Tuesday’s 5-0 thumping of Nottingham Forest, one off of a header and the other from a deflected curler.
“Martinelli is a very young player,” Emery said. “But he came here and we were waiting and watching him, how he could improve with us and really, really in the pre-season he played very well.
“He was working in each training with a big spirit and with a big performance and I spoke with him to have some passion for when he gets his opportunity to play, to do like he was doing in the training and the matches in the pre-season.
“Tonight he did that. Really, he deserved it because he is very humble, a humble player and he fights, he is hungry to have that opportunity to help us and really it was perfect, his work tonight.”
Martinelli certainly seems to have the chops for the first-team. Could he become the next Matteo Guendouzi for the Gunners? Or is it too early to tell?
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