Arsenal have made some great signings in recent years, but few will have yielded as much of a return in valuation as that of Gabriel Martinelli.
The 22-year-old has been a real success story for the Gunners, whose scouting department will no doubt count him as one of their greatest finds.
When Martinelli joined Arsenal back in 2019, he was a talented 18-year-old prospect arriving in north London from modest Brazilian outfit Ituano.
In addition, the Gunners paid just £6million for him, making him a fairly inexpensive acquisition, but it also meant his signing flew underneath the radar somewhat.
However, it didn’t take long for Martinelli to make an impact at Arsenal and become a fan favourite.
He scored 10 goals in his first season, making him the first teenager since Nicolas Anelka to reach double figures in a single campaign for the Gunners.
Gabriel Martinelli seized the moment at Arsenal
Martinelli then fell out of contention for a while, but in November 2021, he was handed an opportunity he seized with both hands.
He came on as a substitute against Newcastle United and scored an outstanding volley to wrap up a 2-0 win for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Martinelli has never looked back, and now he’s a crucial member of the Arsenal first-team. He has 162 appearances, 41 goals and 24 assists to his name, plus nine caps and one goal for Brazil.
Earlier this year, the CIES Football Observatory listed Martinelli as one of the highest-valued players in the world. They ranked him at number 11 with a valuation of €148.2m, or around £126.7m.
This marks a 21-fold increase in value from Arsenal’s initial outlay, and ranked Martinelli above the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
All in all, Martinelli has been an absolutely outstanding acquisition for Arsenal. Let’s hope the Gunners scouting department can unearth yet more diamonds in years to come.
The post 21-fold increase in value: Arsenal struck gold with 22-year-old now said to be worth more than Enzo Fernandez - opinion appeared first on TBR Football.