Gabriel Martinelli has been an unexpected positive for Arsenal in what has been another disappointing season at the Emirates.
The forward was snapped up last summer from Brazilian Serie D side Ituano, essentially as a project player expecting to feature primarily as a substitute or in cup games.
However, the 18-year-old has already started to make a name for himself in his limited outings for the Gunners, scoring 10 times in all competitions so far.
Martinelli’s impressive goal return has come as a pleasant surprise, with few expecting him to settle into life in London so quickly.
As such, he’s already being spoken about in glowing terms, and potentially primed to follow in the footsteps of Arsenal goalscoring greats of years past.
Of course, the idea of the Gunners converting a wide forward into a central striker is not a new thing at the club.
In 1999, following the sale of Nicolas Anelka, then-boss Arsene Wenger recruited an out-of-sorts Juventus winger by the name of Thierry Henry.
He entrusted the youngster in the centre forward role, and four Premier League Golden Boots and 226 goals later, Henry left north London as the club’s all-time top scorer.
Then, having just won the Premier League title in 2004, Wenger bolstered his forward line by investing in a 20-year-old Dutch winger from Feyenoord called Robin van Persie.
As time went on and other strikers departed, van Persie eventually became the team’s main man up top, scoring 132 times in red and white.
Whether Martinelli can emulate those two Arsenal greats remains to be seen, and it would be wise to temper expectations, but given what he’s shown so far, there is reason for optimism.
He is often deployed on the left-hand side of a front three, but almost all of his goals have tended to come when he moves in-field as a more traditional number nine.
Demonstrating intelligent movement and the presence of mind to find those spaces in the opposition penalty area, he certainly has shown the capability to lead the line.
Against Sheffield United and Liverpool, Martinelli’s goals came from balls into the box, the classic poacher. Against West Ham he scored after a late run to convert Kolasinac’s cut back.
The Brazilian demonstrated his aerial ability against Nottingham Forest and Standard Liege, heading home after finding space between opposing centre-backs.
In fact, his most memorable goal for the Gunners, a blistering solo run on the break against Chelsea, is arguably an exception to his other strikes for the club.
With speculation over the futures of both Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang and Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal may not have to look far for a ready-made replacement at centre-forward.
It all depends on whether Mikel Arteta sees him as a better option leading the line and is preparing to give him a go in that role.
