One Arsenal player that the club signed on this day five years ago has seen his value skyrocket since his arrival.
Mikel Arteta has improved many players since he took the reins at Arsenal in December 2019.
To name just a few, Bukayo Saka has established himself as one of the best wingers in the Premier League, Gabriel Magalhaes has cut errors out of his game, Kai Havertz has rediscovered his confidence, and Martin Odegaard has become the player many long expected him to be.
Arteta has been willing to invest his faith in young players, and has been rewarded for this with a hungry, talented squad who are already competing for the biggest prizes in the game and still ought to have heir best years ahead of them.
Sporting director Edu also deserves credit for his role in this success, as he has been savvy in the transfer market, and has helped to bring this exciting squad together at the Emirates Stadium.
One of the Brazilian’s greatest success stories has been the capture of Gabriel Martinelli.
Gabriel Martinelli has made himself a star at Arsenal
Arsenal paid just £6 million to sign Martinelli on July 2nd, 2019. He arrived at the Emirates Stadium as an unknown teenager whilst Unai Emery was still at the helm.
The 23-year-old has since established himself as a regular starter for the North London club and has shown that he can shine at Premier League level. In 174 appearances for the Gunners to date, across all competitions, he has racked up 41 goals and 24 assists.
Martinelli has been described as “unplayable” in the past, by former Manchester United and England star Own Hargreaves, as quoted by HITC.
Martinelli has also earned the respect of his Arsenal teammates, with Jorginho amongst those to have heaped praise on the winger.
According to the Football Observatory, the 11-cap Brazil international is now considered to be worth £108 million – 18 times more than the Gunners originally played to secure his services. Edu certainly deserves the plaudits for such a smart bit of business.
Martinelli now needs more support at Arsenal
Martinelli’s form took something of a dip last season, and he now needs support on the pitch to get back to his best. This means that Arteta must bring in players who can combine effectively with the attacker, as he suffered as a result of the lack of a regular left-back and left-eight midfielder to build chemistry with last season.
Arsenal must now sign a player who can link up well with Martinelli.
