Arsenal opinion – Gunners should go for Gelson Martins in the summer

According to a report in the Sun, Premier League giants Arsenal would be offered a chance to sign Atletico Madrid winger Gelson Martins once the season gets over.

The Spaniards are understood to be ready to offload the Portuguese international, one year after they bought him from Sporting Lisbon. The player couldn’t impress Diego Simeone and was shipped out on loan to Monaco during the January window (h/t Sun).

Martins though, has impressed in France and shown why he could be a star in the making. He has scored three goals and supplied three assists in eight appearances in all competitions so far.

Arsenal have been long-term admirers of the winger, having failed to sign him last summer. The report claims the Portuguese international was furious after a £26million bid was rejected.

But now it seems that a second chance to link with the Gunners is a grave possibility (h/t Sun).

Here’s why the English side must take this opportunity and sign the winger in the summer transfer window:

Arsenal need quality in the wide attacking areas

Gelson Martins is a right winger by trade, who can play as a number 10 or on the other wing. In terms of attributes, the 23-year-old is good at dribbling past defenders, providing good crosses into the box, holding the ball in the wide areas and exhibit the pace to run in behind a defensive line.

In seven Ligue 1 appearances since January, he has successfully dribbled at a rate of 1.9 per game and provided key passes at least once per game. He still has to learn the ‘tracking back’ part of the game, but that will come in due course of time. (Whoscored)

The key thing is that the Portuguese international can cause a lot of problem to the defenders and his pace his frightening, to say the least.

All in all, Martins could be an ideal addition to the Arsenal attack, that needs more quality in the wide areas.

Unai Emery’s men have enough firepower when it comes to finishing the chances in the box and creating through central lanes, but they need someone with raw pace who can take defenders on in the wide areas and stretch the opposition back-line.

That is where the Portuguese international could come in handy for the north London-based club.

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Conclusion

Arsenal missed a chance to sign Martins last summer, but with another opportunity potentially on the horizon, they should make sure that the 23-year-old arrives at the Emirates Stadium ahead of the start of next season.