Gabriel Martinelli has been sensational for Arsenal over the last few matchdays, which was topped off by his wonderful brace in the Gunners’ 4-1 victory over Leeds on Saturday evening.
Despite being out of favour for the majority of the season, the Brazilian still has the same amount of Premier League goals as the £100m Chelsea signing, Romelu Lukaku.
Martinelli’s excellent performances highlight that the club already have their Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replacement, who looks likely to leave the club.
If the 20-year-old continues to match Lukaku’s record in the Premier League this season, then it will certainly be a success, as the Chelsea striker is considered to be one of the best attackers in world football at this current time.
Martinelli earned his place back in Arteta’s team after an impressive substitute cameo against Newcastle where he scored a magnificent volley, after a chipped-through ball from Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Since the impressive show against the magpies, the youngster has started in every game and has scored in two out of the four matches.
These performances were done without Arsenal’s captain and starting striker in Aubameyang, but the emergence of other players in similar positions meant that his absence was unnoticeable.
The 32-year-old has been left out of the team for the past three matchdays, and speculation has grown on his future at the club after it was announced that that the striker will not return to first-team training until after the African Cup of Nations in February.
His departure received a boost, after Spanish outlet El Nacional had reported that Xavi is interested in bringing Arsenal's former captain to the Camp Nou, in order to solve striker issues of their own.
Martinelli has had to step up to improve the north London sides attack in the absence of Aubameyang, which he certainly has done.
His contagious energy has elevated the attack for Arsenal, as the team have been creating chances galore in the last two Premier League matches, which was a rarity in the opening weeks of the campaign.
And if he continues to stay on the level of goals as Lukaku, then the Brazilian will go a long way to helping secure his status as a fan favourite, and hopefully, guide the Gunners into the top four positions.
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