The last few seasons have seen Arsenal go from fighting for a place in the Champions League to fighting for the Premier League title.
It’s true that Mikel Arteta’s side haven’t been able to get over the final hurdle just yet, but aside from an injury-induced mini-crisis at present, it would be hard to deny that the team have steadily improved over the last few years.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have become some of the best centre-backs in Europe, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are sensational in the midfield, and Bukayo Saka continues to lead the attack with an ever-improving Kai Havertz down the middle.
However, while most of the team are playing better than they did two years ago, some players have struggled to kick on, such as Gabriel Martinelli, and based on recent reports, the Brazilian’s place in the team could soon be under threat from an exceptional winger on the continent.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are one of several clubs keen on Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The report claims that the Gunners are set to battle fellow Premier League side Liverpool for the Georgian international next year, as were he to leave Italy for England, his preference would be a move to the Emirates or Anfield, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
While the winger’s desire to join the North Londoners over some of their rivals is undoubtedly a positive development, there is still the small matter of the potential transfer fee needed to get him out of Naples, which Bailey claims would stand at a whopping £100m if he were to agree to a new deal this season.
It would be an exceptionally costly transfer to get over the line, but given Kvaratskhelia’s incredible ability, it is one well worth pursuing, even if it could spell real trouble for Martinelli’s place in the starting lineup.
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How Kvaratskhelia compares to Martinelli
Now, while Kvaratskhelia has played in a few positions across his career, the vast majority of his games have come out on the left.
So, if he was to join Arsenal at some point next year, his biggest competitor for a long-term place in the starting lineup would be Martinelli, so how do the pair stack up against one another?
Well, when it comes to the most important metric of all for an attacking winger, their raw output, there is no competition, as even with his brilliant form in the 22/23 season, the Gunners’ number 11 doesn’t come close to the Georgian over the last few years.
For example, in his 102 games since the start of that campaign, the former Ituano gem has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, equating to a goal involvement once every 2.61 games.
Martinelli vs Kvaratskhelia |
||
---|---|---|
22/23 |
Martinelli |
Kvaratskhelia |
Appearances |
46 |
43 |
Goals |
15 |
14 |
Assists |
6 |
17 |
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.46 |
0.72 |
23/24 |
Martinelli |
Kvaratskhelia |
Appearances |
44 |
45 |
Goals |
8 |
11 |
Assists |
5 |
9 |
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.29 |
0.44 |
24/25 |
Martinelli |
Kvaratskhelia |
Appearances |
12 |
10 |
Goals |
2 |
4 |
Assists |
3 |
2 |
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.41 |
0.60 |
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
In contrast, the “unstoppable” Napoli star, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 29 goals and provided 28 assists in 98 games, which equates to a goal involvement on average every 1.71 games, which is made all the more impressive considering how poorly the team performed as a whole last season.
Ultimately, Martinelli is an undeniably talented winger and has shown signs of getting back to his best in recent weeks, but Kvaratskhelia has been exemplary for a few seasons now and looks like he could become one of the best attackers in world football, so if Arsenal have the chance to sign him next year, they should take it.
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