Arsenal: The expert opinion on Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal acquired 18-year-old Brazilian attacker Gabriel Martinelli earlier this summer. But just who is he and what should be expected of him? I spoke to Brazilian football journalist Joshua Law to find out.

Arsenal’s first official signing of the summer was confirmed earlier this week as they unveiled 18-year-old Brazilian attacker Gabriel Martinelli to the world.

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Martinelli, a shining youth star in the Brazilian football realm, had been expected to make the move for some time, but with a delay due to his age and the official announcement of the new Adidas kit, which Martinelli had to be photographed in for his own transfer announcement, the deal was not made certain until early July.

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Nevertheless, the transfer is now done and dusted and Martinelli is an Arsenal player. But who actually is he and what can be expected of him? Well, I spoke to Brazilian football journalist Joshua Law, editor of Yellow and Green Football, to gain a better understanding of Martinelli. You can follow Joshua on Twitter @JoshuaMLaw, and if you want all things Brazilian football, I would very much recommend that you do.

Here is what he had to say:

1. What type of player is Gabriel Martinelli and what positions is he best suited for?

He is a direct, goal-scoring winger and has mostly played on the left of a front three from Ituano. He is right footed, so likes to cut in and shoot.

2. What are his strengths and weaknesses? Are there any particular aspects of his game that need work?

He is a decent dribbler, he is very quick and always looks to carry the ball towards goal as quickly as possible. He was second-top scorer with six goals in the São Paulo state championship and helped Ituano into the quarter-finals. He needs to understand when to release the ball and when to hold it and also struggled to impose himself when he was man-marked by São Paulo right back Hudson in the state championship quarter-final. He will almost certainly need to improve physically, too, as the demands of the Premier League are on another level to Brazil’s state championships.

3. Do you see him pushing for a role in the first-team squad from the off or is a loan deal more likely?

Ituano are a small club from a fairly small town, so it will probably take him a while to adapt to life at Arsenal. I don’t see him getting into the first team immediately, but a loan might also not be the best option at the moment. They will most likely allow him to develop in youth team games and maybe League Cup matches before introducing him into the first team. The presence of Edu Gaspar [as the anticipated new technical director] should help the settling in process, however.

My thanks to Joshua for his time.