Arsenal: £90m star better deal than Thierry Henry at the Emirates | OneFootball

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Arsenal have had a long and illustrious history of signing players as unknowns before seeing them become world-beaters in front of their very eyes. As the saying goes, they don't just buy superstars, they make them. The likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas among others arrived to little fanfare, but would go on to develop into Premier League sensations. The same can now be said of a certain Gabriel Martinelli too.

Signed from Brazilian outfit Ituano back in the summer of 2019, the then 18-year-old signed a long-term contract at the Emirates and was Unai Emery's first signing of that transfer window. Reports at the time (via Goal) indicated that Arsenal had signed Martinelli for a mere £6m - absolutely nothing in today's market of inflated fees and extortionate values.

The progress he has made in the years since he joined the club has been exponential, first under Emery, and now under Mikel Arteta. After a season of promise during the 2021/2022 campaign, Martinelli took another step further last season, and was unquestionably one of the team's best players as they battled Manchester City for the title. His mixture of speed, directness and end product caused all sorts of problems for opposition teams, and the table below outlines the kind of steps he has taken since his move (all Premier League stats via Transfermarkt and Whoscored).

Year on year, the former Ituano starlet has improved his game, and the underlying data of him having more influence on this side when it comes to shots, dribbles and key passes per game is a reminder of just how effective he has become. In fact, speaking to GIVEMESPORT earlier this year, journalist Paul Brown raved over Martinelli after a stellar display against Liverpool at Anfield when the Gunners drew 2-2 and he opened the scoring.

Those sentiments were echoed by fellow journalist Pete O'Rourke who when speaking to GIVEMESPORT, even went so far as to say that Martinelli was undoubtedly one of the club's best ever signings, and that given he arrived for such a small amount of money, his transfer value had shot up considerably.

The Brazilian has emerged as a cornerstone of this Arsenal team, forming one-half of a formidable wing duo with Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank. Given where the Gunners are headed right now under Arteta, it seems unbelievable to think of Martinelli in any other shirt than Arsenal's. The fact the north London side also have Champions League nights to offer now means it's less likely for these star young players to be leaving the club anytime soon unless years previously. It's no surprise that Arsenal moved quickly to extend his contract, and after doing so earlier in February of this year, Edu waxed lyrical about tying one of their star men down.

In fact, when you do compare Martinelli with some of the other great transfer coups of years past, the winger does favour quite well. Although Henry goes down in club history as their greatest ever player, the Frenchman arrived at Arsenal with a reputation behind him. It is easy to forget that the forward had already won France's Young Footballer of the Year award in 1996, won the Ligue 1 title a year later, and scored seven goals in the Champions League as his AS Monaco side reached the semi-finals of the competition. That's not to mention that Henry had also earned international honours with France, and won the World Cup with Les Bleus in 1998 before his eventual move to Arsenal.

Martinelli on the other hand came from Ituano, who were playing in the fourth tier of Brazilian football, and had not even earned a cap to any of his country's youth sides. He was a complete unknown plucked from some prodigious scouting and excellent recruitment work from transfer chief Edu, and it's why the deal for the winger might lay claim to being the club's greatest ever transfer coup. The story behind his capture also makes for fascinating reading, with one of Arsenal's South American scouts, Jonathan Vidalle, explaining all during an Arsenal en America podcast episode.

Amid this current era of global scouting and more information being at the hands of clubs and scouts, it's almost impossible for an exciting young talent to be completely off the radar. The chances are that someone somewhere is keeping an eye on them and is already making plans behind-the-scenes over negotiating a deal. It's exactly why Martinelli's move takes on even more significance, given there wasn't some drawn-out saga, while ultimately, it was really a chance taken by Arsenal out of hope more than expectation.

Given the young Brazilian remains only 22, you would imagine that he will only get better and better in his time at Arsenal, and it's scary to think just how good he could be by the time he reaches his actual prime. The next step in his career is surely to lead the Gunners to a Premier League or Champions League, and really cement his legacy at the Emirates and have his name be mentioned alongside the likes of Henry.