Arsenal have completed the signing of Brazilian teenage forward Gabriel Martinelli, their first acquisition of the summer transfer window.
The 18-year-old joined Unai Emery’s side from Ituano Futebol Clube for an undisclosed fee on a “long term contract”.
Martinelli scored 10 goals in 34 appearances for Sao Paulo-based club Ituano and was called up for a training camp with the senior Brazil squad ahead of the Copa America.
The young forward has lots of potential and will be seen as a long-term investment, which means Arsenal will not immediately cool their interest in Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha.
Palace instantly rejected Arsenal’s opening £40m offer, something the south-London club consider to be far below his value to them.
Martinelli briefly spoke with former Arsenal and Brazil player Edu about joining the club he dreamt of playing for.
“It is a dream since I was a child and also my family’s dream for me to be playing in Europe and playing for a big team like Arsenal. I am going to take this opportunity,” he told the club’s website.
“I know Edu, Denilson and I know that they have a lot of history at the club. Edu, in particular, I had a little contact with him at Corinthians as I had a spell there and I know they had a lot of success here but also for the national team. I am going to try to follow the same route.
Despite his Brazilian roots, Martinelli’s idol is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. “I model my game on Cristiano Ronaldo, he is a player who works hard, pushing himself to the next level. Always in the run for titles and individual trophies,” he added.
“I look up to Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar as they are players who can decide games and are very professional, who dedicate themselves to the whole game.”
