Martinelli tells Arsenal to 'prepare for the worst'

Stuart Telford

• 21 Jul 2023 22:29 BST
• 3 min read

Gabriel Martinelli says Arsenal need to 'prepare for the worst' next season after spending £200 million on the likes of Kai Havertz in the summer transfer window.

Havertz figures to be the player most likely to impact upon Martinelli's first-team minutes next season - although there could be room for both - with the former Chelsea man a final third operator.

He has been joined at the Emirates by defensive midfielder Declan Rice and defender Jurrien Timber, from West ham and Ajax respectively, and the early signs are good, with the Gunners beating Ryan Reynold's Wrexham 5-0 in their second pre-season friendly.

READ: Arteta already urged to axe Havertz at Arsenal

Arsenal led the Premier League for 248 days last season before finishing five points behind champions Manchester City, although they consoled themselves with their return to Champions League football.

Martinelli: 'squad depth important'

Martinelli thinks Mikel Arteta's side will have their work cut out, despite the new arrivals.

"I think we need to prepare ourselves for the worst, we need to prepare ourselves for the best teams and the whole team is doing that," the Brazilian winger said ahead of Arsenal's meeting with Barcelona in California.

READ: Arsenal legend 'pinching himself' after Rice transfer with Edu 'not done yet'

"I think we are ready for a new challenge. [our squad depth] is so important because we have too many games in the season and it's going to be tough again. We're ready to go and it's good to have so many options."

Martinelli hit 15 goals and five assists from his 36 Premier League games last season, making him one of four players to reach double figures for the Gunners alongside Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus.

He is valued at €53 million by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, but as one of the first names on Arteta's teamsheet with four years to run on his current deal, it doesn't appear likely he is going anywhere soon.