Mikel Arteta has a fight on his hands to sell Gabriel Martinelli this summer, with the Arsenal star insistent that he wants to see out his contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal have taken a stance that they want a change on the left wing. FootballTransfers has previously detailed the club’s desire to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle in the forthcoming transfer window, while AC Milan’s Rafael Leao is one of a number of players linked with a switch to North London.
Martinelli, meanwhile, is expected to make way – but he is not planning on going quietly.
Arsenal’s three options for Martinelli
The 24-year-old Brazil international is not ready to make a summer transfer, according to Football Insider, which claims that he is ready to fight for his place at the club and is “pushing” to stay.
This comes despite Arteta only starting him in nine Premier League matches to date.
Martinelli’s Arsenal career is clearly at a crossroads. He has one year left on his contract, meaning that either North London side elect to sell him now or present him with a new deal.
There is also the possibility of retaining him for another year until his contract expires, though given he has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €51.3 million, the Gunners are unlikely to be willing to see such a player depart for nothing.
Martinelli: What the data says
Martinelli’s Premier League numbers this season may have been disappointing as he has delivered just one goal and three assists, but with six Champions League strikes to his credit, there is still evidence that he is a player who can have a positive impact.
Certainly, this is what SciSports believes. The data analytics firm indicates that Martinelli still has the potential to become Arsenal’s best player. It uses a SciSkill rating to give each player a score based on hundreds of in-game data points, with the Brazilian ranked sixth by this metric. Surprisingly, he fares better than Declan Rice.
Arsenal’s Top Players (SciSports, April 2026)
| Rank | Name | SciSkill | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Saliba | 129.9 | 146.1 |
| 2 | David Raya | 127.7 | 127.7 |
| 3 | Gabriel Magalhaes | 126.7 | 126.7 |
| 4 | Bukayo Saka | 125.9 | 140.9 |
| 5 | Martin Odegaard | 124.3 | 127.9 |
| 6 | Gabriel Martinelli | 122.5 | 135.3 |
Arteta: A near-perfect record for making sales
Arteta typically has a strong instinct for when it’s time to get rid of a player – one of the secrets of being a great manager.
Looking through the Gunners’ outgoing transfers in recent seasons, there are few examples of players who were sold too early. Granit Xhaka might be picked out as one player Arsenal allowed to go too soon, yet this was done via an agreement with the Switzerland star and was not a decision taken lightly.
Indeed, the last – and perhaps only – time that Arteta got a sale wrong was Emi Martinez’s 2020 move to Aston Villa.
The stats may show that Martinelli should be retained by Arsenal, but Arteta’s instinct has not been wrong in an awfully long time.
