Thierry Henry says Arsenal transfer target Lautaro Martinez has been ‘on fire’ for Champions League-chasing Inter Milan this season.
Jamie Carragher added that the Argentina star is probably now living up to his expectations and performing at the level of his talents – the semi-finals of Europe’s biggest competition.
Over the course of the season, Lautaro Martinez has bagged 23 goals in all competitions, including ten assists for an Inter side hoping to win the Champions League this season.
Donning the captain’s armband for the first leg of Inter’s Champions League semi-final tie against bitter rivals AC Milan on Wednesday night, Martinez didn’t get on the scoresheet, nor supply an assist, but he caused Stefano Pioli’s men major issues.
At one point, he even thought he had won a penalty after Inter raced into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes, when he left former Chelsea man Fikayo Tomori on his backside, replays showed that the challenge from Simon Kjaer wasn’t enough to award the penalty and the on-field call was overturned by VAR.
Avoid defeat next week and Inter are in the finals of the European Cup, with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher singing Martinez’s praises before the game, as they told CBS Sports on Paramount+ (10/05/23 at 7:20 pm).
“This guy is on fire,” said Henry to which Carragher added: “He is and you probably have to go back a few years when they won the title under Conte where it was more Lukaku getting the goals.
“But Martinez is now the biggest goal threat. He is on course to have his best season at Inter Milan. World Cup winner now as well, even though it didn’t go as well as he would have liked in the tournament.
“He has shown his full repertoire this season, in terms of getting goals and assists. 22 goals and eight assists in 48 games. He is the biggest goal threat. They do have huge firepower when you think Lukaku, a lot of the time, has found himself on the bench this season.
“But this is the level you maybe think Martinez should be at, in terms of getting to the latter stages of Champions Leagues and maybe taking Inter Milan to the final.”
ARSENAL’S INTEREST IN MARTINEZ
The Gunners have had an Argentine with a Martinez surname in their building before and it seems as though they are keen to add another in the form of an all-action forward.
TeamTalk reported back in February that Arsenal are keen to sign the 25-year-old, alongside Manchester United – but it seems as though Inter don’t want to let go of their star man, at any cost.
At the end of the day, Premier League money talks, and with Arsenal returning to the Champions League next season, then unless Inter wins the competition outright, then it would put those in north London ahead of the Italian club.
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