Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli played as a striker for Brazil against Colombia last night, and he had a very good game.
Fernando Diniz’s Brazil are missing a number of players due to injuries. Neymar and Richarlison have both undergone surgery, while Gabriel Jesus wasn’t fit enough to play last night. That’s why Martinelli got a chance up front, and he didn’t take long to impress.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli impresses as a striker for Brazil
Arsenal signed Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano, a fourth-tier Brazilian club, back in 2019.
The youngster’s first few appearances for the Gunners under Unai Emery were as a number nine, and he was terrific in that role.
However, since Mikel Arteta‘s arrival, the Brazilian has mostly played as a left-winger and has made a name for himself as one of the best players in the Premier League in that position.
Brazil boss Diniz deployed Martinelli as a striker against Colombia last night, and it took the Arsenal man just over four minutes to open the scoring.
It was his first-ever goal for his country at senior level, and Brazilian media outlet Globo Esporte were really impressed with his display.
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They gave Martinelli a 7/10 rating and wrote: “He scored for the first time in his eighth game with the Seleção shirt – only his second as a starter.
“He was one of the best in Brazil, not just for his goal.”
Martinelli could save millions for Arsenal
Arsenal have been urged by numerous pundits to sign a new striker in the January transfer window.
Many are of the opinion that Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are not good enough to win the Premier League title, and the Gunners have been linked with moves to sign strikers like Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen, who will both cost an absolute fortune.
After his performance for Brazil last night, Mikel Arteta should consider using Martinelli as a striker at some point. Yes, he needs to improve his hold-up play, but the 22-year-old has all the other qualities required to succeed in that role.
Arsene Wenger once deployed Alexis Sanchez through the middle after initially using him as a left winger. That proved to be a huge success at Arsenal, and there’s no reason why Martinelli can’t have a similar impact if given a chance there.