Arsenal: Gelson Martins and the endless war that will be

Arsenal have a premium opportunity to snatch a top-tier winger for next to nothing. But this isn’t a war that will end anytime soon.

Arsenal’s need for a winger is starting to attract some pretty exciting names, but none are that close to being done. None are quite as realistically exciting as Gelson Martins. There are plenty of other fantastic links, none of whom are very realistic.

The problem is that Martins has set himself up in a prime-time position for anyone of his quality and potential. When a top-tier talent rips up his contract and declares himself a free agent, it’s always going to be like a swarm of sharks to a drop of blood.

Martins has done just that, which brings far more teams into the mix than if a free still existed. Of course, one of those teams is our beloved Arsenal.

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While this transfer saga was slow rolling at the start, it’s gotten pretty intense ever since. Teams are flocking for his signature and the Gunners are getting lost in the mix.

But the key here is that they are still in the mix. And as long as they are in the mix, they can still emerge victorious.

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If nothing else, we have been informed that one team is removed from the running – Sporting Lisbon. Martins agent came out and ruled out the fellow Portuguese side, making that whole “mix” one team shyer than where it had been.

All news of this variety is a good news. Call it a battle won in a war that figures to go on for quite some time. Probably on into next season before the window officially closes.

Martins would fit with the Gunners perfectly, and that is the primary attraction that this club can offer him. He will have every chance in the world to establish himself in the brand new regime under Unai Emery for years to come.

That doesn’t mean the fight is going to be easy. Not at all. Top-tier clubs are out there, snapping at the heels of this guy and from now, for the next couple months, there are going to be breakthroughs and fall-throughs. All we have to remember is that it’s going to take awhile.

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It’s not like it’s a must-win war. There are other options. But damn, this would be a satisfying one to win going into next season, wouldn’t say?