‘He was special’… Gabriel Martinelli raves about defender who Arsenal released in 2021

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In a look to the past, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli has now been reminiscing his arrival at the club and England as a whole.

The 22-year-old Brazilian has taken the Premier League by storm since arriving, a player who has surpassed all expectations from Arsenal fans.

After signing for a modest fee in 2019, Martinelli swiftly earned himself a role in the first team, making it abundantly clear that he was too good for the academy sides.

And when recalling how he started life at the club with the Arsenal website, Gabriel Martinelli was full of compliments for one former defender.

Martinelli has seen a ton of change since he arrived during the Unai Emery era, and most of the faces he first saw are no longer with the club.

One of those being David Luiz.

Martinelli has now been praising his compatriot for the role he played for him and the whole squad when he first arrived.

He said: “David Luiz was special too. He helped me a lot – as he did the whole squad. He was always giving advice and was really important for me as well.”

Gabriel Martinelli says David Luiz was huge help when he arrived at Arsenal

It now seems a very long time ago that David Luiz was commanding the Arsenal back line.

Paired with the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, it’s fair to say Mikel Arteta’s side have come a long way.

Perhaps even if Arteta goes on to lift the biggest of trophies with Arsenal in the future, his first FA Cup win will always be his most impressive.

Arteta instantly won a trophy with such a disjointed and fractured squad, something he’ll be keen to build upon.

But with Gabriel Martinelli in their side, Arsenal will definitely believe that trophies are on the horizon.

And with their defence now largely sorted for the foreseeable future, perhaps Arsenal still need to add a few goals.

Moreover, with that in mind, the club continue to be linked with one free-scoring £85m striker in January.