Arsenal are closing towards sealing a new deal for one of their who has been key to Mikel Arteta’s project at the Emirates. Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli is the player in discussion here, who is bracing himself to pen a new deal with the Gunners. Martinelli has shown scintillating progress under Arteta, and has massively contributed towards Arsenal’s dominant display in the Premier League this season.
The Gunners sit atop of the table in the English top flight, thanks to their young stars in Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus stepping up. However, after Jesus’ knee surgery which is slated to keep him sidelined for at least the next three months, Martinelli is being tipped to play as a makeshift striker for the Gunners. And the club is also ready to further underline his importance by locking him in with a long term deal.
New deal could see Martinelli earn at par with high earners at Arsenal
Gabriel Martinelli was a €7 million investment of Arsenal made back in 2019 when he was signed from Brazilian side Ituano. An unknow figure at that time, the 21-year-old has worked through the drills to become one of the faces of this resurgent Arsenal team. The Brazilian so far has accumulated an impressive 104 appearances for the club, netting 23 goals and providing 15 assists.
His form at Arsenal also earned Martinelli a call up to the Brazil national team in March earlier this year. He has since made 6 appearances for the Selecaos, and the big moment for him was gracing the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the famous yellow shirt of Brazil. Martinelli featured three time across Brazil’s five outings, with one start as well under hie belt.
However, he failed to score or assist a goal throughout the tournament, as Brazil were shockingly sent home from the quarterfinals by Croatia. But some joy awaits Martinelli back in London, with Arsenal readying a contract extension to table in front of him until the summer of 2027. His current deal runs through June 2024, and interest from many of the top clubs in Liverpool and Barcelona was beefing up.
Arsenal quickly want to fend-off the interest from potential suitors as they are even ready to make Martinelli amongst their top earners. Currently, the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko are among the highest earners at the club, and Arsenal are planning to introduce Martinelli to this table. The winger himself is also desperate to sign a new deal at the club, as he had expressed during the Europa League game against FC Zurich last month. Martinelli had told reporters before the game:
“I’m very happy at Arsenal. I’ve said it many times. This is my club. I love to be here. I love the city, I love the club, I love everything about Arsenal. So I want to stay, I’m very happy. I just need a pen [to sign extension]!”
With the player himself making his intentions clear, Arsenal have wasted no time in prepping a new deal. Martinelli once again has been in hot-form at the Emirates, having scored 5 goals and provided 2 assists in 14 league games. He will now look to continue the form in the second half of the season as Arsenal are bidding to win their first league title since 2004. And Martinelli could well celebrate it with a new deal with staggeringly improved wages as well.