Impatiently Waiting for Gabriel Martinelli’s Return

Gabriel Martinelli has resumed light training with Arsenal. 

There’s been a lot of talk about Gabriel Martinelli on social media lately. With Alexandre Lacazette underperforming and Mikel Arteta’s side generally lacking in goals, many Arsenal fans are yearning for the Brazilian’s return. This speaks volumes about Martinelli’s quality as he is still just 19-years-old.

The man signed from fourth division Brazilian side Ituano in the Summer of 2018 far exceeded the expectations of Arsenal fans last year. If someone told me in August 2019 that Gabriel Martinelli would go on to register 14 goal contributions over the course of the 2019/20 season I would’ve laughed in their face. He was a nobody.

Nevertheless, Martinelli very quickly proved to Arsenal fans that he was much more than a nobody. He scored a brace on both his EFL Cup and Europa League debuts to immediately find a place in the hearts of the Arsenal faithful. His fearless running and cool finishing made him an immediate fan favourite.

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Martinelli’s hard running style led to many comparing the 19-year-old with former Arsenal hero Alexis Sanchez. A player with deceptively strong aerial ability, someone difficult to shake him off the ball and had that never-say-die spirit.

We’d been missing this sort of footballer since Alexis’ departure. Martinelli brought these traits back for us when given opportunities last season.

Perhaps that’s why Arsenal fans are so excited to see the Brazilian return at the end of the year. He just offers something refreshingly different to what we currently have. Yes, he’s still a little rough around the edges, but his rawness is a major part of the attraction.

However, what will be interesting is to see how long it takes Martinelli to return to his best post-injury. The broken meniscus injury he has suffered is the first big lay-off of his career and learning how to look after your body after a setback is a huge part of the maturing process of a young footballer.

Knowing Martinelli, he’ll want to hit the ground running. Arsenal’s medical staff will be all too wary of this.

Inevitably, he’ll want to play every single minute of every single game. As always. It’s crucial that the 19-year-old doesn’t sustain further injuries, and thus limiting his appetite will be a major component of the task regarding Martinelli’s return.

Nevertheless, one gets the impression Martinelli would be perfectly suited to Mikel Arteta’s centre-forward role. Back in May, Arteta said he likes a strike who can “link, drop, to start to the pressing”. Such a role would suit Martinelli’s all-energy approach down to a T.

Consequentially, while it may take a while for Martinelli to return to peak fitness, perhaps his personal objective will be to nail down the number nine role as his own at Arsenal by the end of the season. This is a huge task but few would bet against him achieving this.

There’s still quite a way to go, but seeing Martinelli back in a red and white shirt will bring a smile to the faces of many an Arsenal fan. The youngster has been missed dearly.