Arsenal can axe Martinelli by signing £86m winger who's like "early Henry"
Arsenal’s performance against Liverpool was a strange one.
As Arne Slot mused at full time, if you played the same match another ten times, eight results would see a draw, the Reds would win once and the Gunners would win the other.
It was a tight game. Arguably neither side really deserved to take all three points home.
Yet, in title races, you need moments of magic. Dominik Szoboszlai was the man who provided it for Slot and Co in the Premier League on Sunday, striking home a sweet free kick.
Arsenal were craving a moment of similar spice but despite spending nearly £300m, they lacked that moment. It’s safe to say it’ll take time for everything to come together with so many new faces vying for a place in the team.
So, fresh off that 1-0 defeat at Anfield, is there anything for Arsenal to wrap up on deadline day?
Arsenal's transfer deadline day plans
As far as incomings are concerned, it’s unlikely Arsenal will be too busy during Monday’s deadline day.
That said, we are still awaiting official communication that Piero Hincapie will sign from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Gunners have been in talks to sign the defender over the last few week and it was widely reported that he was undergoing a medical on Sunday.
That move will pave the way for Jakub Kiwior to depart the Emirates Stadium and he could be followed out the door by Oleksandr Zinchenko – linked with Marseille – and Reiss Nelson who, is wanted by Fulham.
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Eberechi Eze may well have signed but there is still a craving for a left winger and that was rubber-stamped on Sunday.
Gabriel Martinelli began the game on the left flank but was hauled off on the 70th-minute mark having had one of his poorest games for the club.
The Brazilian was dominated by makeshift right back Szoboszlai, notably failing to register a shot, a key pass or complete a dribble.
So, how can Arsenal solve that issue?
How Arsenal can solve their Martinelli problem
Cast your minds back to the 2022/23 campaign. The Gunners are at their free-flowing best. Grant Xhaka is patrolling things from the middle of the park, Gabriel Jesus is dazzling up top and Oleksandr Zinchenko is inverting from left-back.
Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Martinelli were also combining to create one of the best attacks in the division. All three of them scored 15 goals throughout the campaign.
Since then, it’s been a tale of woe for him with the Gunners. He’s really struggled to replicate that form and the start to 2025/26 has been no better.
FFC handed the Brazilian a 3/10 rating for his efforts in Merseyside and it was justified for a complete lack of involvement. The forward is full of energy and pace but lacks end product, largely due to his indecisiveness when he gets the ball in and around the penalty area.
Minutes played
70
Touches
15
Accurate passes
6/7 (86%)
Key passes
0
Shots
0
Dribble attempts
0
Crosses
0
Duels won
2
What Arsenal need is something different on that side of the pitch. Eze came on for the last 20 minutes and immediately looked a better asset, very nearly scoring.
But, if Arteta wanted to axe Martinelli for good, then signing a new winger would certainly go down a treat on deadline day.
Much of the summer’s chatter has been about Real Madrid’s Rodrygo but another player who could be on the market late on is Rafael Leao, valued at £86m.
Reports on Sunday suggested that Tottenham Hotspur were actually looking at doing a deal for the Portuguese, albeit it would be a very challenging deal to do this late in the window. Arsenal have previously been linked but it’s not known whether they still retain an interest.
So, why would he be a good signing? Well, the 26-year-old has notably been described as “one of the best left wingers in the world” by analyst Ben Mattinson.
The Milan winger has cultivated a reputation as one of the most exciting forwards in the game, scoring 12 times and also providing 13 assists in all competitions throughout last season. One year prior, the electric speedster scored 15 and managed 14 assists, showcasing why he’s so highly rated.
His style of play would also captivate the masses at the Emirates. Back in 2022, Milan coach Stefano Pioli said that “Leao reminds me a lot of the early Thierry Henry.”
Like the Arsenal legend, Leao boasts a quick and long stride pattern. He favours the left channel and he’s a monster if you allow him to cut inside.
Over the last year, the Milan attacker ranks among the best 4% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, via FBref. To put that into context, Martinelli ranks among the best 25%, lagging behind Leao by some distance.
To put it simply, the Portugal international is better than Martinelli.
He has a level of incisiveness, a level of directness that simply isn’t there with the Brazilian. Signing him late in the window, particularly if they beat Spurs to his signature, would be one quick way to move on from their troubled number 11.
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