Arsenal have made their first signing of the summer, as they have signed 18 year old Gabriel Martinelli. It is thought that the youngster who plays as a forward, has been signed for a fee of around £6.0 million on a long term contract.
Martinelli is viewed as on one Brazilian’s best young promising forwards and here’s what the youngster has had to say about his move to the Gunners:
“It was an amazing feeling, a dream come true, being able to be beside great players. It is a great opportunity to learn and I enjoyed it as much as I could.”
Player History
Gabriel Martinelli was born in Brazil and in 2010 he joined Corinthians aged just 10.
In 2015, the joined Ituano and he was on the radar of some big clubs, having trials at Manchester United and Barcelona. In November 2017 he signed his first professional contract with Ituano and made his debut in March 2018, aged just 16. Over the course of the 2017/18 campaign he managed to feature on 20 occasions, scoring 4 goals.
The 2018/19 season was somewhat more fruitful as Martinelli made 14 appearances in the league scoring 6 goals.
Internationally, the forward was called up to the Brazilian national team in May 2019 for a Copa America training camp.
Fantasy Football Potential
The Brazilian is seen as a future prospect, not necessarily a player that will play in the first team immediately, but he will have the chance to impress Unai Emery over the course of the pre-season. He will be looking to replicate the rise of Matteo Guendouzi who signed with Arsenal aged just 19 and is a regular in Emery’s midfield selections.
Gabriel Martinelli will have tough competition this season, with Aubameyang and Lacazette being the first choice forwards, however there is also Nketiah who will be looking to get more game time this season. The Brazilian youngster therefore may not be one for this season, but certainly looks like he will make an appearance in fantasy football in the coming seasons.
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[…] Arsenal have announced the signing of William Saliba from Saint-Etienne on a long term contract in a deal believed to be worth around £27 million. Sailba is the Gunner’s third signing of the summer transfer window joining after Dani Ceballos and Gabriel Martinelli. […]