5 Things To Know About New Arsenal Attacker Gabriel Martinelli

It's no secret that Arsenal needs to undergo a massive rebuild this summer, which is why supporters have been so frustrated over the last month and change. A good chunk of the summer transfer window is behind us and Arsenal's preseason training begins on Friday. Yet, despite some whispers (and roars) about this player or that, the club hasn't unveiled a new signing. Until now.

On Tuesday, Arsenal announced the long-anticipated signing of 18-year-old Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli from São Paulo-based club Ituano. (Not coincidentally, it comes just a day after the club unveiled its new Adidas kit.) Martinelli will be a relative unknown to most fans of English soccer since he's spent the entirety of his young career in Brazil. So here are a five things fans should know about the newest Arsenal lad.

Despite being so young and playing for a relatively small club, Martinelli has already made a mark in his home nation. Playing in the São Paulo State Championship this year, he help guide Ituano to a remarkable finish for a club of its size, winning its group before being knocked out in the quarterfinals by Brazilian giant São Paulo FC. He finished the run tied for second-most goals in the tournament with six, helping land him a spot in the Team of the Season and earning him the title of Newcomer of the Year. This performance also earned him a coveted spot in the Brazilian national team's pre-Copa América training camp in May, although he did not make the final squad.

Martinelli began his career at Corinthians, originally as a futsal player. In the Corinthians youth setup, he scored more than 200 goals before moving to Ituano. His goal-scoring ways continued at Ituano, where he scored an impressive 64 goals in 92 games. His goal-scoring prowess led to trial periods and both Manchester United and Barcelona before Martinelli eventually signed with Arsenal.

This might not seem like a big deal, but it is. Arsenal have had problems over the years signing young Brazilians who didn't qualify for a work permit, which led the club to send them on loan for years. But Martinelli reportedly qualifies for an Italian passport through his father, which would make him eligible to play for Arsenal right away. He's expected to join the team in preseason training and on tour this month, which likely means Unai Emery has Martinelli in his first team plans this season.

It remains to be seen where Emery will want to deploy Martinelli because he's proven himself adept at so many positions. With his ability to find the back of the net, his natural position would seem to be as a central forward playing in front of goal. But he also has the pace and dribbling ability to be an adept winger and the vision to play as an attacking midfielder when called upon. It seems likely that Arsenal will want use him as backup for strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. But considering the club's dearth of wingers, he could find more time and be more useful playing on the flanks.

As mentioned above, Arsenal has had problems with young, Brazilian talent in the past, but that could be changing. It's widely believed that Arsenal will appoint former player and current Brazilian national team general coordinator Edu Gaspar technical director when the Copa América concludes. Edu has a deep knowledge of Brazilian soccer both from his time working with the national team as well as his stretch as director of football for Corinthians, where Martinelli used to play. Although he's not yet employed by Arsenal, it's hard not to see Edu's fingerprints on this deal. With him in charge of identifying potential signings, it's possible we could see the Gunners dip into Edu's old stomping grounds and target more Brazilian's in the future.

Source: Forbes.com

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