Charles Watts says Gabriel Martinelli is Arsenal’s third-best signing since the Invincibles era.
The Arsenal-related journalist added that Gabriel Martinelli, who was plucked from the lower leagues of Brazil in 2019 when Unai Emery was in charge, is an even better signing than Santi Cazorla.
The 38-year-old was a firm fan favourite during his time at the Emirates and one of the best players to have donned the club’s colours.
Charles Watts labelled the Spanish star as an ‘absolute genius’, but picked Gabriel Martinelli ahead of him in his list of Arsenal’s best signings since 2003/04, as he told Inside Arsenal.
Last season, the Brazil international showcased his worth to the rest of the world by producing his best season to date when he scored 15 Premier League goals from the flanks and supplied five assists.
It just goes to show that splashing big money on players isn’t always the answer because not even the best teams in Brazil were seemingly looking at Gabriel Martinelli when he was a teenager.
Gabriel Martinelli and Santi Cazorla
“My number five is Santi Cazorla,” said Watts. “He was an absolute genius. I am convinced that if he didn’t get injured then Arsenal would have won the title.
“My number three is Gabriel Martinelli. An absolute bargain. Not even plucked from the second division of Brazil. It was the fourth.
“What a signing. What a player he has turned into during such a short space of time. Some Brazilian teenager none of us had heard of to a genuine world star already. Just brilliant. Fantastic signing.”
More to come from Martinelli
This is just the start of the 22-year-old’s journey and there is a lot more to come from a player who will now want to add trophies to his name.
The Premier League title is the one. After last season’s collapse, if these Arsenal players aren’t fired up to put things right this time around, then they never will.
And, on Sunday, they put out their biggest statement yet when Martinelli came off the bench to help them beat the current champions, Manchester City.
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