This season, the Brazilian has not performed well for the Gunners.
Arsenal spent the FA Cup weekend preparing for their next Premier League match against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening, following their 5-0 defeat to Liverpool earlier in the month; however, following their spectacular 5-0 win over Crystal Palace, morale should be high around the team.
The rush of goals against the south Londoners helped to calm the ship after a difficult few weeks, and a brace for the out-of-form Gabriel Martinelli was the right way to finish the game.
The young Brazilian played like a man possessed last season, scoring 15 goals and five assists in 34 league appearances, so his return of only four goals and two assists this season has some fans and commentators worried about his progress and role in the team.
While the Thierry Henry-esque brace against the Eagles should alleviate those concerns for the time being, the 22-year-old may lose his place in the team if his form does not improve, especially since several players who can fill his role have been linked to the club this month, so let’s take a look at three of them.
1. Federico Chiesa – Juventus
The first name that comes to mind is Federico Chiesa, a £69 million star who was connected with the club last month and helped break English hearts three and a half years ago.
In addition to making regular appearances for Juventus in recent years, the former Fiorentina player was a key part of the Italy team that came from nothing to win the 2020 European Championship at Wembley Stadium, defeating England on penalties to secure a remarkable victory.
The explosive “wizard,” as football podcaster Roger Bennett dubbed him, started all four games of the tournament, including the final, and scored two goals on his route to continental triumph.
His stint in Turin has been mixed, with only an Italian Cup and a Super Cup to his name. To be fair to him, he joined the team as their domestic dominance began to wane.
His overall personal record in Serie A is fairly outstanding, with 44 goals and 41 assists in 219 appearances, averaging 0.38 goal involvement per game.
While it would be an expensive deal to complete, it might well be worth it to add a dynamic winger with a winning mentality to the side.
2. Kaoru Mitoma – Brighton & Hove Albion
The next name on the list is Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma, who has recently been linked with a move to the Emirates for a cost of up to £70 million.
The Japanese wizard has been impressing Premier League fans since making his debut for the Seagulls last season, when he scored seven goals and five assists in 24 starts, filling the vacuum left by Leandro Trossard when he joined the Gunners in January.
The 26-year-old simply picked up where he left off this season and has already scored three goals and provided four assists in just 13 starts for Roberto De Zerbi’s brilliantly entertaining south coast side.
The “insane” winger, as characterized by statistics analyst Ben Mattinson, has been equally outstanding with his national team, earning the Japan Pro-Footballers Association’s award for Japanese Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
🇯🇵🥇 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Kaoru Mitoma's solo goal vs Wolves has won the Premier League Goal of the Month. pic.twitter.com/bR5qZBzE9E
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 15, 2023
Furthermore, when his underlying figures from this season are directly compared to Martinelli’s, the cunning Brighton man leads in practically every metric, including successful take-ons and progressive carries per 90, by a significant margin.
Finally, while this transaction would be even more expensive than the one for Chiesa, Arsenal fans could be confident that Mitoma would quickly adapt to Premier League football, and with former colleague Christian Burgess declaring that he “finishes like Thierry Henry,” what’s not to love?
3. Xavi Simons – Paris Saint-Germain (RB Leipzig)
Earlier this month, German tabloid BILD (via Sport Witness) stated that Arsenal was ‘in the picture’ of signing the immensely talented Xavi Simons from Paris Saint-Germain this year.
Unlike Martinelli and the other two players on this list, the young Dutchman is not solely a left-winger, but he has spent almost as much time operating on the left side of a front three as anywhere else on a football pitch in his brief career.
The 20-year-old is presently on loan at RB Leipzig, and despite only rejoining the Parisians from PSV Eindhoven in the summer, he might be available for as cheap as £43 million, which could be a steal for Arsenal in the current market.
The dazzlingly spectacular gem was described as “one of the most exciting teenagers in world football” by Mattinson in the summer, and based on his performances in the Netherlands last season and in East Germany this season, it’s practically impossible to disagree.
In just 34 Eredivisie games last season, the then-teenager scored 19 goals and assisted eight times, and in just 18 starts this season, he has already scored five goals and given seven assists.
His underlying numbers are also as impressive as you would expect from such output, and, worryingly for Martinelli, football’s new Flying Dutchman has him beaten in almost every relevant metric, including successful take-ons, goal-creating actions, assists per 90, and many more.
At the end of the day, all three of these players would boost Arsenal’s squad, but Simons offers the most value for money and ensures the team is well-stocked for the long future.
