Paul Merson labels Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli a special player

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Paul Merson has told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (broadcast on 5/10; 13:01) that Gabriel Martinelli looks to be a special player after his Europa League performance against Standard Liege.

Martinelli only moved to the Emirates in the summer. But he has already made a major impression for Unai Emery’s men. He marked his first start for the Gunners with two goals in the Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest last month.

And he followed that up with another brace in the Europa League on Thursday as Arsenal beat the Belgian side 4-0 at the Emirates.

And while Merson was keen to avoid getting carried away, he insisted that the signs suggest that Arsenal have signed a gem by bringing in Martinelli.

“You’ve got to remember the standard of the game, but what he did in the game was absolutely brilliant,” he told Soccer Saturday.

“You’ve just got to carry that on. He looks a special player for £6 million in this day and age. If he starts playing in that position behind people like Lacazette and Aubameyang, that will only help his game.”

TBR’s View

Martinelli is one of the players who will be delighted that Arsenal are in the Europa League. It has, along with the League Cup, presented Unai Emery with a chance to play a host of young players.

The likes of Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock and of course, Martinelli have a golden chance to prove a point. And that has helped some of those players push for more of a chance in the Premier League.

Martinelli faces a tough task forcing his way into an Arsenal attack that arguably looks almost as good as anything else in the top flight. But he has made a brilliant start to life in North London.

And given that he is just 18, you could completely understand why Merson, along with many Arsenal fans, believes that the Gunners have a seriously special player on their hands.