Arsenal and Gabriel Martinelli: Is it possible to overhype?

Gabriel Martinelli is being hailed by every man and his dog for his outrageous talent and potential. But are we in danger of overhyping the Arsenal prospect?

When Arsenal signed Matteo Guendouzi two summers ago, an unknown teenager from the depths of French football, for £6 million, the general question of ‘who?’ reverberated around the Emirates. Within one preseason performance against Paris Saint-Germain, the question was very quickly answered.

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Guendouzi has since progressed to look like one of the best young talents in the world, now the key component of Unai Emery’s midfield, even though he is still only 20 years of age. It was a masterstroke of a signing. And now Arsenal are looking to replicate it, this time with young Brazilian centre-forward, Gabriel Martinelli.

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Also signed as a relatively unheard of teenager for a modest fee, Martinelli has burst onto the scene this season. Like Guendouzi, it took him just one preseason game for fans to come to the realisation that he might be special. One the season started, such a premonition was quite obviously true. Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has more goals for the club. Martinelli has been electric, pressing intensely, scoring true striker’s goals, dribbling at and by defenders. He has been superb. And the football world has woken up.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are disappointed that Martinelli slipped through their fingers after he spent some time with La Masia, their academy, while Jurgen Klopp did not hold back in his praise for the centre-forward.

"“He’s really unbelievable. So young, looks so mature already, is a proper threat. Yeah, he looks like a really decent player.”"

Klopp’s bold praise of Martinelli was echoed by teammate David Luiz, who praised his compatriot’s mentality:

"“I always say, talents, I have seen many, but great mentality, I didn’t see many. And who arrives far? It’s great mentality, not just talent. ‘I’m not going to say to you about who is the most talented, but the best mentality at the moment is Martinelli. He has a great mentality, especially because I know Brazilians at 18 years old. He’s a top guy, a top player, but what makes me more impressed is the mentality in the training ground, the way he reacts after he scores goals.”"

It is quite clear: Martinelli was highly rated by Barcelona, Arsenal, and Manchester United, who he also had a trial with, has caught Klopp’s eye, and is now attracting the praise of his teammates, too. And this is in the midst of the fans beginning to lose their minds at his future prospects. But are we in danger of overhyping Martinelli? After all, he is still only 18 and has played only 75 minutes in a European league in his career.

Well, probably. As is the case with every young player that explodes onto the scene as Martinelli has in recent weeks, there is a natural, insatiable reaction to spin forward to what they may one day become. Football is always looking towards to what is to come. It very easily gets ahead of itself. Nowhere is this truer than with young talent.

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However, as Luiz rightly highlights, Martinelli has the right mentality to make the most of his talent. He is not just a brilliant player, he is a determined character. And like Guendouzi before him, that make the threat of overhype ineffective.

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