Arsenal: Gelson Martins controversy means no-brainer

Gelson Martins could terminate his contract at Sporting Lisbon, meaning that Arsenal can sign him on a free transfer. If so, his signing is an absolute no-brainer.

Sporting Lisbon are in trouble. The Portuguese club, that has produced the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Luis Figo in the past, as well as eight of the 11 Portugal players to start in the Europ 2016 final, are facing a mass exodus of all their present talent. And all for nothing. Arsenal, predictably, are looking to take advantage.

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The background is this: Bruno de Carvalho was elected as President in 2013. His tenure since that time has been a successful one, selling players for high prices, stabilising the finances of the club, and closing the gap to the two dominant clubs in Portuguese football, Porto and Benfica. But it came with a cost.

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His confrontational style created a culture of great demand, tension and, now, violence. After the club fell short of a Champions League qualification place, a large group of fans attacked the training ground, causing physical damage to a number of the players, including striker Bas Dost who went home with cuts to his head, and mental ramifications since then. Some players, most notably 10-year, starting goalkeeper Rui Patricio, have submitted their resignation on grounds of being unsafe in the workplace.

That brings me to Arsenal. The Gunners have reportedly already made two offers for dynamic Lisbon winger Gelson Martins, both thought to be in the region of £26 million. They have been rejected, per the same reports. But they have also turned Martins’ head and now he is considering taking the same action as some of his teammates, submitting his resignation and signing on a free transfer elsewhere.

Now, first and foremost, this is an awful situation to be in. Lisbon are being ripped apart from the inside-out. As a football fan, it is never nice to see a club eat itself alive. But from a purely Arsenal perspective, this is a situation that they can take advantage of.

Given their alleged limited budget this summer, I was somewhat apprehensive regarding the potential Martins pursuit. While he fills a need at the winger position, there are, in my opinion, more pressing issues that require greater investment. If he was to eat into that pot, then would his signing actually serve the club in the best way?

But those concerns are not pertinent if there is no fee to be paid, as would be the case if he were indeed to resign and void his contract. Yes, there would be wages to consider and a likely hiked signing-on fee, as there is always is with free-agent acquisitions, but Martins would be significantly cheaper than if he were signed out-right.

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It remains to be seen whether he does indeed resign. It is very surreal. It’s never really happened before, and so there isn’t really a precedent to look back on and forecast for the future. But one thing is for sure: If Martins is free, then he very quickly becomes an absolute no-brainer.