Arsenal: Gabriel Martinelli and the three magic words

Arsenal starlet Gabriel Martinelli has made some bold declarations, but hey, it’s never too early to start promising the world to famished fans.

Gabriel Martinelli could go down as one of the most astute signings in Arsenal history. And we’ll have Unai Emery to perpetually thank for it if he does. Not only is Martinelli chipping in goals in his first year, when he was supposed to be a prospect, but now he’s making the ultimate promises too.

During this lull in the action, Gabriel Martinelli has kicked up his own action, making all the promises that fans will want to here—to be an Arsenal legend, to win the Champions League, to win numerous domestic titles.

I mean, what can you say to that? He’s said everything we want to hear. The three magic words: Legend, Champions League, Premier League. Er, five magic words.

Arsenal could use a little encouragement these days. Honestly, any days over the past ten years or so. The club has continued to fall short of winning the two big titles and have had to settle for FA Cups while they rebuild.

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Now we’ve actually truly begun the rebuild, half a decade later than expected, and we’ve got some serious pieces in place to make this rebuild last for the long-term. Among those pieces, Gabriel Martinelli stands as one of the strongest.

As things are, these promises that Martinelli’s making mean little more than encouragement, but the big positive takeaway here is that he’s thinking long-term. With all the talk of Barcelona already snooping around for his services, Martinelli is busy praising his manager, talking about his long-term future and how, at the end of his career, which is still over a decade away, he wants to be remembered as an Arsenal legend.

I don’t care how old you are, or where you are in your career, that’s a big statement to make. It’s not unlike what Hector Bellerin used to say when he was younger and Barcelona was trying to sign him. Obviously, time softened him a bit but he’s still here and he’s still on target to be here for the foreseeable future.

At a time when it’s quiet out there, it’s nice to get these bursts of optimism from players that give us so much optimism. There’s so much uncertainty going forward, but being able to count on youngsters is something pretty special.