Arsenal proven right to not sign £50m player after latest news about Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal fans have clamoured for Mikel Arteta to sign Rafael Leao for years.

Every summer, his name resurfaces as the Gunners look to strengthen the attack.

And it would make sense, right? The AC Milan winger is direct, skilful, quick, capable of moments of genuine brilliance.

But every summer, Arteta and the recruitment team turn away at the chance to bring him to the Emirates.

In fact the links have never materialised into anything concrete.

But it turns out Arsenal were right all along.

Galatasaray had been tracking Leao as their primary winger target this summer. But now, they have switched their focus to Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli instead.

The Athletic report that the Turkish side submitted a €45million bid for Arsenal to mull over.

But the fact that a team outside Europe’s top five leagues would prefer to pursue a move for Martinelli over the Portuguese forward says it all — Leao just isn’t that good.

Arsenal were always right about Rafael Leao

Leao is a talented player. Nobody is disputing that.

But the concerns about him have always been around his inconsistency, defensive work rate, and not being able to deliver in the biggest moments at the highest level.

Arsenal’s identity under Arteta demands defensive diligence from every player, and Leao has never convincingly shown he can provide that.

Bar a drastic change, Leao now looks set to remain at AC Milan for another season, whose contract expires in 2028.

As for Martinelli, he is understood to not be pushing to leave North London, and if he was to leave, he would expect a move to one of Europe’s strongest leagues, which hints at him turning Galatasaray down.

Either way, Arsenal should be holding out for more money. €45million — around £38million — is too low for an established Champions League forward like Martinelli.

The 25-year-old’s performances and output may have dipped in recent seasons, but he is still an incredibly useful profile that helped Arsenal win the Premier League.

Given the fees for the likes of Savinho and Crysencio Summerville, Arsenal should be after closer to £50million for the Brazilian.