Former Arsenal scout by the name of Francis Cagigao is of the view that Barcelona could have beaten Arsenal to sign Gabriel Martinelli in 2019. In the end, the Gunners roped in the Brazilian international for £7m. The Brazilian wishes to win more trophies at Arsenal and for that, he is willing to give absolutely everything to the club.

The young sensation even once told that he would stay at Arsenal for the rest of his life. This goes to show the love and desire that he has for the club. Martinelli is best known for his dribbling skills, the sheer pace and his potential to score goals in the best way possible. There were several instances of him helping the club with his credentials.

Whenever he is on the pitch, he makes a big difference to the club. Even if he doesn’t score goals, he somehow finds a way to provide assists for the team, which has always been the case. He drew plaudits for his exceptional skills and has all the tools and ingredients to become one of the best players in the future.

Martinelli’s form took a hit in the last few games, with the Brazilian struggling to find the back of the net. However, he has been working his socks off to get the basics right. Recently, he also signed a contract at Arsenal until 2027, with the club having the alternative to extend the deal for an additional year.

Barcelona could have beaten Arsenal to sign Gabriel Martinelli in 2019; former Arsenal scout Francis Cagigao says

Fortunately for the Gunners, they quickly completed the deal by securing the signature of the young prospect in 2019. There was no turning back for the Brazilian since then. He went on to represent the Arsenal Football Club in 77 appearances wherein he scored 18 goals and provided as many as nine assists to his name.

Martinelli has scored seven goals and provided two assists in the ongoing season of the Premier League. He will be looking forward to delivering the goods for the club in the second half of the season. The best is yet to come for the young talent who is always enthusiastic to help the team with his credentials.

In an interview with Spanish outlet AS, former Arsenal scout Francis Cagigao said, “He [Gabriel Martinelli] played at Ituano, an hour and a half from Sao Paulo. We had him on the radar from grassroots football. We had doubts, but I started to go see him and he totally convinced me. Manchester United was able to sign him, but they didn’t, and so did Barça because he was testing in La Masía, but they discarded him and we went in there with a force so that he didn’t escape”, Francis Cagigao said.

On the other hand, Mikel Arteta expressed his delight after Gabriel Martinelli signed a long-term contract at the club. “Gabi is still very young, so we know there’s still much more to come from him and it’s great that we’ll be on this journey together,” Mikel Arteta added in the club’s announcement.