Arsenal received interest in one of their attacking stars in the final hours of deadline day but were handed a massive favour by Premier League rivals Chelsea and managed to keep him at the Emirates Stadium...CONTINUE READING
Arsenal were able to keep their “own Ronaldo” at the Emirates Stadium this season as AC Milan failed in a bid to sign Gabriel Martinelli.
Reports from CalcioMercato suggested that the reigning Serie A giants were interested in signing the Brazilian forward as a potential replacement for star striker Rafael Leao. The former Lille man was linked with a move to Chelsea this summer with the Blues keen to add to their attacking options following the exits of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.
In the end, a deal for Leao was deemed too expensive for the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge and he ended up staying with Milan. That in turn handed Arsenal a huge boost in the fact that they were able to retain the services of Martinelli.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether the young Brazilian would have been tempted by a move to the San Siro in the first place considering Arsenal’s excellent start to the new season, but the offer of Champions League football might have been something to consider should Milan have pushed ahead with a move.
He is now set to stay in north London though – something that will only prove to benefit the Gunners with Martinelli having earned comparisons to Brazil icon Ronaldo by another Seleção hero Ronaldinho.
Speaking to back in 2020, the former Barcelona playmaker said: “We as Brazilians are very excited about him [Martinelli] and his future. It is one thing to have the talent, but another at the age of 18 to have the confidence.
Gabriel Martinelli was the subject of interest from AC Milan
“He reminds me of Ronaldo. In 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.”
Now with his future clear for the time being at the very least, the 21-year-old can focus on his job at the Emirates Stadium and potentially continue his excellent form.
The youngster has already found the net on three occasions in his first five appearances of the season and is already halfway to matching the best Premier League goalscoring total of his career.
His displays this season have certainly caught the eye – none more so than of Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ukrainian defender has suggested that he has been taken aback by the quality that the Brazilian wideman has displayed so far in his time at the Emirates Stadium.
As quoted by Metro, he said: “Honestly I wasn’t surprised much because I knew the quality of the players here but obviously if you want me to choose one, because obviously I know Gabriel Jesus for a while and we don’t count him, I think Gabriel Martinelli.
“He is the special one. From the first days when I’ve seen his footwork and his attitude and the way he works. Honestly, this guy if he is going to keep going, remember his name. He’s unbelievable.”
