"He's the one" - Ian Wright urges Arsenal to pay whatever it takes to keep youngster at the club
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has encouraged the Gunners to offer Gabriel Martinelli 'whatever he wants' to tie him down to a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal reinforced their status as Premier League title contenders this season by beating Liverpool last weekend. They retained their one-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-2 win against the Reds.
While Bukayo Saka scored a brace on the evening, also starring in the match for the Gunners was Martinelli. The Brazilian opened the scoring for Mikel Arteta's side just less than a minute into the game and also provided the assist for Saka's first goal.
Wright heaped praise on Martinelli for his performance against Liverpool last weekend. The Arsenal legend claimed that the attacker did the work of two players against Jurgen Klopp's side. He said on his podcast The Ringer [via football.london]:
"The way Arsenal went about that game [against Liverpool] and the way Gabriel Martinelli played… he was doing the work of two men. He was blazing up and down that right side."
Martinelli has been in fine form for the North London side this season, scoring four goals and providing two assists in nine league matches. However, some have raised concerns about his future at the club recently.
The 21-year-old has entered the final two years of his contract at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta's side reportedly have an option to extend it by another 24 months, but there is yet to be an agreement over it.
Several Premier League clubs are thus said to be monitoring Martinelli's situation with the Gunners. Wright, though, has urged his former employers to do everything at their disposal to tie him down to a new deal. He said:
"I’m telling you, he’s the one. With Martinelli, if I’m Arsenal, I’m going in now and offering him whatever he wants."
It now remains to be seen if the Premier League table-toppers and Martinelli can reach an agreement over a contract extension soon.
Martinelli joined Arsenal in 2019
The Gunners acquired Martinelli's services from Brazilian club Ituano in the summer of 2019. They forked out a sum of around £6 million to bring him to the Emirates Stadium and are already reaping the rewards for it.
Martinelli has made 95 appearances across all competitions for the London giants so far. He found the back of the net 22 times and provided 15 assists for his teammates in those matches. The attacker also has three national team appearances for Brazil under his belt.
At 21 years of age, the only way is up for Martinelli.