Arsenal have scouts watching a winger who could be the next Gabriel Martinelli, reports suggest, with the Gunners in a fight for his signature as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his squad.
Gabriel Martinelli rediscovers Arsenal form
Prior to the clash with Manchester City, Gabriel Martinelli had not scored or assisted a goal in the Premier League since March for Arsenal. His last goal involvement had come in a 6-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, but the introduction of Riccardo Calafiori appears to have helped him rediscover some form.
First, he was given the assist for the five yard pass that allowed Calafiori to equalise against Manchester City, then in far more meaningful fashion he sprung into life against Leicester City.
Moments after missing a glorious chance, the Brazilian forward grabbed the opening goal before teeing up Leandro Trossard on the stroke of half time to put Arsenal two goals to the good, though they needed a stoppage time rescue act to ensure all three points stayed in north London.
Signed for just £6m in 2019 from then-Brazilian third tier side Ituano, he has turned into one of the leading wingers in the Premier League during his time in north London, making over 175 appearances for the Gunners and only turning 23-years-old in June. A clear success story for Arsenal’s scouting department, they may now have found another.
Arsenal chase teenage winger
That comes as reports suggest Arsenal have joined the race to sign Ivory Coast wonderkid Bazoumana Touré, who is currently impressing in the Swedish top flight for Hammarby. Still just 18-years-old, the left-winger has grabbed six goals and three assists so far in 2024,
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Bazoumana Touré in the Allvenskan 2024 |
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Appearances |
15 |
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Starts |
14 |
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Goals |
6 |
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Assists |
3 |
|
Minutes per goal or assist |
128.7 |
Scouting account Rising Talents on X dubbed him “very fast”, as well as being a “very strong winger in 1vs1 situations”, both of which are also part of Martinelli’s skillset in north London.
As per the Mirror, “Arsenal are amongst a long list of clubs keeping tabs” on the teenager, who is valued at around £5m, and the Gunners had scouts at his most recent outing against Hacken, where he grabbed an assist.
Hammarby are resigned to losing him in the near future, with sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg explaining: “There are a lot of clubs coming to the match against Hacken. We need to plan for a future without him. Then if it happens this winter, next summer or even further than that – I don’t think so, we’ll see. But the longer we get to keep him the better.”
Though a more established name than Martinelli was when Arsenal swooped to sign him, Touré could offer the Gunners the chance to pick up another future superstar for peanuts.
