Gabriel Martinelli responds to Real Madrid transfer talk

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 21 Mar 2023 13:33 GMT
• 6 min read

Gabriel Martinelli brushed off speculation linking him with a move away from Arsenal after his goalscoring display for the Gunners.

Martinelli netted the opener for Arsenal in their 4-1 win over Crystal Palace to make it six goals in his last eight matches across all competitions and sending his side eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with ten games to go.

The Brazilian signed a new four-year deal last month but has still been linked with moves away, with Real Madrid among the sides reportedly admirers of the 21-year-old.

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However, Martinelli insisted on Instagram that he only had eyes for Arsenal, posting a picture of him pointing to the club’s emblem with the caption ‘I’ll never get tired of playing for this badge.’

Martinelli is enjoying the most prolific season of his career so far, leading the goalscoring charts for Arsenal in the league with his 13 goals, one more than Bukayo Saka, who netted twice against Palace.

The win was an immediate response by Arsenal after they were knocked out from the Europa League on penalties by Sporting Lisbon in their last game, with Martinelli missing the decisive spot kick.

Martinelli proving his worth after Jesus injury

Martinelli has progressed rapidly since his £6 million arrival from Ituano in the fourth tier of Brazil, becoming an integral part of Mikel Arteta’s side and subsidising the goalscoring load in the absence of Gabriel Jesus.

The forward had only scored five times prior to the World Cup break but stepped up his game after Jesus picked up an injury in Qatar, which he made his return from against Palace.

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Since the tournament, in which Martinelli made three appearances for Brazil, he has netted eight times, the same amount as Saka and minimising the loss of Jesus, who was the team’s top scorer prior to his injury.

With Jesus now likely to slowly be eased back into the team after his comeback from injury, Arsenal look on course to fire their way to their first Premier League title in nearly 20 years under their young Gunners.