Arsenal confirm signing of Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Ituano forward Gabriel Martinelli for a reported €6m (£5.36m) fee.
The 18-year-old has scored 10 goals in 34 games for the Brasileirão side across the past two seasons and earlier this year he trained with the Brazil senior squad ahead of the 2019 Copa America.
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Gabriel was voted as the 2019 Best Newcomer, as well as making the 2019 Team of the Year for the Campeonato Paulista state championship in Sao Paulo.
The Gunners announced the deal with a statement on their official website which read: “Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli is joining us from Ituano Futebol Clube on a long-term contract.
“Gabriel has made rapid progress during his short time at Ituano. Since making his debut in November 2017 aged just 16 years and nine months, the young forward scored 10 goals from his 34 appearances for the Sao Paulo-based club.
“The 18-year-old’s development was also recently acknowledged by the Brazilian national team, with a call-up to the full squad for a training camp in May ahead of the Copa America.
DONE DEAL: @Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano on a long-term contract.
📸 via @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/W1MSfkjrzo
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) July 2, 2019
“Gabriel was voted as the 2019 Best Newcomer and also a member of the 2019 Team of the Year for the Campeonato Paulista – the football league for the state of Sao Paulo.
“The deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.
“Gabriel will shortly join up with his new team mates for pre-season training.”
Gabriel becomes Arsenal’s first signing of the summer, although he is unlikely to be their last with Unai Emery’s side strongly linked with a move for Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, as well as a number of defensive reinforcements.
Who is Gabriel Martinelli? Five key things to know…
- Began his youth career with Corinthians in 2010.
- Moved to fellow Sao Paulo-based side Ituano in 2015.
- Scored 10 goals in 34 appearances for them across the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
- Has now signed a long-term contract with Arsenal for a reported €6m fee.
- The Brazilian is Unai Emery’s first signing of the summer transfer window.
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