Why Arsenal risk serious fan backlash if the latest Gabriel Martinelli reports come true
Gabriel Martinelli is a player very much in the shop window this summer for Arsenal.
Despite playing a key role in the success Mikel Arteta has had at the club, the Brazilian is seen by many as a player who can move on if the right offer comes in.
Arsenal’s signing of Christos Tzolis, in addition to their pursuit of Vinicius Jr and other left wingers, shows very much where the club stand when it comes to Martinelli.
Still, selling players has not been Arsenal’s biggest strength in recent times and while they’ve done well to cash in on some young players like Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun, the club’s record sale remains that of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in 2017.
Now, with Martinelli strongly linked with a move to Roma, Arsenal fans will be raising their eyebrows once again.
Arsenal have to get more money for Gabriel Martinelli
There are multiple reports emerging suggesting the Gunners will ask for around £30-35m to consider selling Martinelli.
On one side, this is a big profit on a player they only paid £6m for and would give them yet more wiggle room in the market.
However, this fee would still be below what they got for Oxlade-Chamberlain nearly 10 years ago.
Quite rightly, Arsenal fans will wonder just what is going on in regards to sales at the club. A quick glance at Man City – who have sold Raheem Sterling, Julian Alvarez and Ferran Torres for over £50m – shows how it can be done.
In fact, City have sold eight players for more than Arsenal’s record sale.
With that in mind, it’s quite clear the club needs to work on getting more money for the players they do want to move on. Yes, fees of around £25m for the likes of Nketiah, Smith Rowe and Balogun represent decent business. But when it comes to selling first-team players, Arsenal simply have to get more.
As for Martinelli, it feels like his career is reaching a pivotal stage. Does he stay and fight for a place and hope Arsenal don’t land that new left-sided player before the end of the window?
Or does he bite the bullet now, recognise the writing is on the wall and go and carve his own path elsewhere?
Regardless of his decision, Arsenal fans will always appreciate ‘Gabi’ and wish him well.