Lautaro Martinez has been linked with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, and the Argentina international striker showed against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Friday evening just why.
Argentina got the better of the Netherlands 4-3 on penalties after the quarter-final tie ended 2-2 after extra time.
It was Inter Milan striker Martinez who scored the decisive penalty in the shootout.
The 25-year-old had come as a substitute late in normal time and looked sharp.
The Argentina international striker went close to scoring twice in extra time.
And he delivered when he had to, keeping his calm under pressure to send his national team through to the semi-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup where they will face Croatia.
Martinez has been linked with North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham for a while.
The Times reported in May 2022 that Arsenal wanted to sign Martinez from Inter in the summer of 2022.
However, the striker turned down the chance to move to the Gunners because they did not finish in the top four of the Premier League table last season, meaning that they could not qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
In October, Inter Live reported that Tottenham are planning a bid for Martinez and want to bring the 25-year-old to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to keep head coach Antonio Conte happy.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis in the penalty shootout, and the former Arsenal player has publicly showed his support to Lautaro Martinez, as you can see from his Instagram post below.
Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez on Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur-linked Lautaro Martinez
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
