Martin Odegaard Rates Gabriel Martinelli As A “Top Talent”, Has Been Impressed In Training

Martin Odegaard is, like many, a huge Gabriel Martinelli fan…

Martin Odegaard named Gabriel Martinelli as the youngster who’s impressed him the most, excluding the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe who’re now bonafide first-team stars, the playmaker told the Premier League.

Martinelli has found first-team opportunities hard to come by since returning from his long-term knee injury with the 19-year-old’s progress being halted by niggling knocks.

He has been fully fit in recent weeks but his availability has coincided with Mikel Arteta finally settling on a forward-line that he trusts and is comfortable with.

The boss has spoken recently about his guilt in not selecting Martinelli more regularly and has praised the Brazilian-born starlet’s energy in training.

Odegaard has since echoed those sentiments and made it clear that he sees Martinelli reaching the top of the game.

“Obviously, we have Bukayo [Saka] and Emile [Smith Rowe] and they are already playing so much. But I think one guy who hasn’t played that much lately is Gabi Martinelli,” the Arsenal loanee said when asked about the club’s exciting prospects.

“He’s such a big talent, you see him in training every day and you see it. He’s a really talented player with a lot of qualities.

“So I think definitely he’s one for the future. And he’s so young still, so I will go with him.

“He will reach his goals because, from what I see every day in training, he’s a top, top talent,” Odegaard added.

Martinelli has predominantly been played as a left-winger by Arteta but his most impressive performances came early on his Gunners career when deployed through the middle by Unai Emery.

Arteta also believes Martinelli’s future lies as a No.9 after he referred to him as a centre-forward (via Football London) following last season’s 1-0 home against West Ham, our final game before the pandemic shut the world down.

The Spaniard usually refers to the overall balance of the side and clearly feels we lose technical control when placing another wide-forward on the left, with the likes of Smith Rowe and Willian preferred in that role since the turn of the year.

Hopefully, Martinelli can make a serious impression as a striker in pre-season ahead of the next campaign.