Arsenal agree personal terms for "electric" signing who'd revive Martinelli
Arsenal agree personal terms for “electric” signing who’d revive Martinelli
While there are still a couple of weeks to go and plenty of football to be played, it would be fair to say that Arsenal have enjoyed another brilliant season under Mikel Arteta, one that could still end in Premier League glory.
The Spaniard’s side went into the campaign with the sting of last year’s collapse fresh in the mind, but instead of wilting under the pressure, they have shown that they are worthy of challenging Manchester City for domestic dominance.
That said, while almost every player in the squad has looked better than they did last year, Gabriel Martinelli has been underwhelming and, as a result, has struggled to make it into the starting XI of late.
However, based on recent reports, the North Londoners could soon land the perfect player to revive the Brazilian’s fortunes on the left – oh, and he’s already rejected Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Turkey (via TEAMtalk), Arsenal are keen on bringing Tottenham target and Fenerbahçe fullback Ferdi Kadioglu to the Emirates this summer.
The report has claimed that while the Lilywhites are interested in landing the 24-year-old’s signature, his agent has already met with Arsenal representatives and agreed to a ‘deal in principle.’
This means that for the Gunners to get the transfer over the line, they just need to agree a fee with Sarı Kanaryalar themselves, which, according to the report, could be as little as £26m.
Now, this would still represent a considerable investment from the Gunners in a player from a league outside of Europe’s traditional top five, but as he has the skills to revive Martinelli’s fortunes, it would likely be worth it.
How Kadioglu could revive Martinelli
On the whole, Arsenal have had a reasonably predictable lineup for the majority of the campaign thus far, with the same names generally starting week-in-week-out regardless of the opponent ahead of them, apart from on the left-hand side, that is.
So far this year, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Jakub Kiwior have all taken turns starting on the left of the back four. At the same time, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, and Martinelli have come in and out of the XI on the left of the attack.
This constant chopping and changing has clearly had an impact on the former Ituano ace, as last season, when he knew it would be Granit Xhaka and the Ukrainian behind him, he was fantastic, scoring 15 goals and providing six assists in 46 appearances. A stable lineup could reignite his devastating attacking threat.
This is where Kadioglu could come in, as in the opinion of respected data analyst Ben Mattinson, the Turkey international’s impressive “stamina, athleticism and speed” would allow him to make constant overlapping runs with the Brazilian, thus allowing him to “cut in and shoot more frequently.”
Moreover, Mattinson claims that the “electric” fullback can play on either side of the backline and invert when in the final third, becoming a “part of the attacking line” to further increase the Gunners’ myriad of attacking options and bring a new dimension to the team’s approach.
Ultimately, if Arteta wants to bring Martinelli back to his very best next season, then signing KadıoÄlu is a brilliant way to do that and a fantastic way to increase the team’s attacking threat overall.
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