Arsenal: Gabriel Martinelli the Matteo Guendouzi 2.0

After being signed from nowhere in the summer, Gabriel Martinelli is now screaming onto the Arsenal first-team scene. Does it remind you of anyone?

When Arsenal signed Matteo Guendouzi — a French division two player who no one had heard of and very few even cared for — last summer, the usual groans of the fan base erupted. ‘Why do we always sign no-name Frenchman?’; ‘Can we finally sign a proper player not just some young talent?’ While a little hasty, they were fair complaints. The Gunners have been known to spurn needed recruitment in favour of talented but wildly unproved youngsters.

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Nevertheless, Guendouzi very quickly made his mark. He excelled in the preseason, showing compsoure beyond his year, a terrific range of passing and hair-raising energy and commitment. He then started the first game of the season against Manchester City, Unai Emery rewarding him for his recent displays. As the season progressed, it became very clear: Guendouzi was here to stay.

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And this season, Guendouzi has taken his game — and his role within the team — to a new level. He is now the number one central midfielder, the linchpin of the side, the dictator in possession, enthused presser in defence, and inspiration when needed most. At present, Guendouzi is the heart of Arsenal. And a little over a year ago, he was playing in Ligue 2.

Arsenal have again taken a similar tack this summer. Rather than turn to France and depths of European football, their gaze has swivelled to South America and Brazil, where their newly appointed Director of Football, Edu Gaspar, is an expert. They signed Gabriel Martinelli, a sharp, bright, 18-year-old attacker for around £6 million, a fee very similar to Guendouzi’s. Six months earlier, Martinelli was playing in the fourth tier of Brazilian football. When he first arrived in north London, the initial reaction was one of confusion and curiosity. ‘Who?’ was the most prominent question asked.

But like Guendouzi before him, Martinelli is making immediate strides to combat the early scepticism. The 18-year-old has made two starts this season, three appearances in total. In those two starts, both coming in the last ten days, the first a 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest and the second a 4-0 win over Standard Liege on Thursday, Martinelli has played as the lone striker. He has scored four goals, has one assist, and has led the line superbly.

After the Liege victory, in which Martinelli was even better than his first outing, also totalling seven shots, 100% dribbles completed, a team-high five attempted tackles, and created three chances, head coach Emery was glowing in his praise:

"“I saw him in pre-season and he was working and in each training showing us his hunger. In pre-season he was perfect all the time with us in training, and I spoke to him to be calm because when he arrived with an opportunity to play like tonight, if he continues with this hunger then I think he will do well. Tonight confirmed that.”"

What comes of Martinelli and his inordinate ability remains to be seen. But just like Guendouzi before, so far in his Arsenal career, he has made quite the impression, and that can carry him a very long way indeed.