Arsenal could be at risk of seeing one of their first-team stars exiting the north London club in the near future.
According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Premier League rivals Chelsea apparently have their eye on Gunners forward Gabriel Martinelli.
Bearing in mind how active the Blues were in the transfer market over the summer, bringing in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and even former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, it’s no surprise to hear that they have Martinelli on their radar.
Having made 93 senior appearances for the north London club, the Brazilian has scored 21 goals and delivered 14 assists. In eight league appearances this season, the winger has netted once and supplied three assists for his team.
In addition, the 21-year-old has racked up the second-highest number of shots at goal (24) in Mikel Arteta’s squad and recorded more shot-creating actions (34) than any of his team-mates.
To further highlight his attacking talent, Martinelli has completed more dribbles (20) than any other player not just at Arsenal but also in the entire league.
His overall performances have earned him a strong season rating of 7.48/10 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest rated player at Arsenal. This shows why Chelsea have the attacker on their radar and why Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp previously described him as an “outstanding” young talent.
Taking all this into account, it would be nothing short of a disaster for Edu and Arsenal to see Martinelli potentially leave the Emirates in the near future, especially to join London rivals Chelsea.
Moving forward, it should be one of Edu’s top priorities to ensure that the £90k-per-week Brazilian puts pen to paper on a new deal with the Premier League leaders.
