Football Insider has revealed that Liverpool are interested in signing Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli.
What’s the story?
The 18-year-old only joined the Gunners from Ituano last summer, but has made an instant impact at the Emirates – he already has 10 goals in 21 matches.
According to this latest report, Michael Edwards and his recruitment team are “planning to keep close tabs on the teenager in the second half of the campaign”. It further adds that the Merseyside club are unlikely to be the only team looking at Martinelli’s progress, and that Arsenal may need to offer him a new contract to ward off potential suitors.
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Long-term versatility
Even in just a short amount of time, Martinelli has already proven to be a bargain for the north London outfit, who signed him for just £6m from Brazil. He also has three assists, and has been one of the few bright sparks in what has been a difficult campaign for Arsenal so far – they are 10th in the Premier League table.
Interestingly, Martinelli has performed impressively well in two separate positions. He has seven goals in seven appearances at centre-forward, and also has two goals in two appearances at left midfield as well.
This is the kind of player that Jurgen Klopp loves to work with. James Milner, for example, has played in six different positions in his 196 appearances for the Reds, whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another who has proven to be versatile across the park, featuring in six different roles himself.
Meanwhile, Joe Gomez has featured at right-back, left-back and at the heart of the defence, whilst Divock Origi has played across the forward line.
Martinelli could be the next player to provide that ability to play in a number of positions, before taking up a starting role later on. Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are all at least 27 years of age – they will not be around forever. When they are ready to move on, Martinelli should be at the perfect point in his career to step up to the plate. Whether Arsenal would be willing to sell to a rival in their own division remains to be seen, but it is a deal that is certainly worth pursuing.
Meanwhile, this Premier League man could become a star at Liverpool according to Stan Collymore.
