Unai Emery’s appointment as the manager at Arsenal will certainly change a lot of things at the club in the long run. But at the moment, it is the transfer policy that has already changed. Having already signed Stephan Lichtsteiner, the Gunners are also close to landing Sokratis Papastathopoulos, in what could be one of the busiest transfer windows at the club in recent times.
They are also linked with a number of exciting stars for a move this summer and the latest name doing the rounds is Gelson Martins.
A part of the Portugal squad in Russia for the World Cup, Martins is one of many players at Sporting CP that could be on the move this summer. After the attack from the fans for failing to qualify for the Champions League and the manager’s threats to suspend the entire squad has unsettled a number of players, including the Arsenal target, he is now desperate to move on.
Having joined the youth system at Sporting back in 2010, Martins broke into the senior side in 2015 and took little to no time to establish himself in the first team. Right from his first season, he has played a minimum of 29 league games in Portugal and is an established star in the country.
Playing predominantly on the right wing in the attack, the 23-year old can also play as a CM or as a false-9 to equal effect. Strong and technically gifted, the Portuguese international loves to have the ball at his feet and is quick to see spaces to run into. He is not the quickest around but is hard to catch on the wing, thanks to his close control in dribbling. He can put in decent crosses but is more adept at trying to create chances for his side in the final third.
He is also ready to do the dirty work, is quick to win the ball back and though is prone to giving fouls away, rarely does it in dangerous areas. He picked up 11 goals and 9 assists in all competitions last season and is a crucial part of the Portugal squad in Russia.
He is a decent coup for Arsenal but Portuguese news outfit A Bola claim that Sporting have rejected Arsenal’s initial approach for Martins. Also wanted by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, the 23-year old has a release clause of £53m but Sporting are ready to let him leave for just around £39m.
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Arsenal have offered just £26m, but for Martins’ potential, they should meet his valuation and bring him to Emirates this summer.
