Fabrizio Romano: Arsenal chasing Martinelli upgrade who's a £29m "threat"

On Saturday night, Arsenal once again stumbled in their quest to make up ground on Liverpool in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s side played out a dire 1-1 draw away to Brighton & Hove Albion, and while they were on the receiving end of a questionable penalty decision, the team lacked any bite in the second half.

In fact, the only Arsenal player who looked threatening on the night was 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who was taken off at half-time due to a muscle injury and replaced by the lacklustre Gabriel Martinelli.

The Brazilian may have scored a couple of goals in recent weeks, but he offered nothing going forward against the Seagulls, so recent reports linking the club to a player who could be an upgrade on him should excite the fans.

Arsenal chasing exciting winger

According to reports from Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in Feyenoord’s tremendously exciting left-winger Igor Paixao.

It follows claims from Caught Offside who recently noted that alongside the Gunners, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham and Roma have all scouted and been seriously impressed by the 24-year-old dynamo.

Fortunately, if the North Londoners can get ahead of the competition, they won’t have to worry about overpaying for the thrilling attacker, as the story claims that Feyenoord are after around €35m for their star, which converts to about £29m.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Paixao’s impressive form this season and raw ability, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he could be a dream Martinelli upgrade.

How Paixao compares to Martinelli

Now, if Arsenal are able to get their hands on Paixio this month, his biggest competition for a starting berth on the left would likely be Martinelli, so how do the pair stack up against one another?

Well, from a simple output perspective, which is what matters most, it’s hardly even a competition.

For example, in just 24 appearances this season, the Feyenoord phenom, whom U23 scout Antonio Mango described as a “major threat in the final third,” has scored five goals and provided 13 assists, which comes out to an exceptional average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games.

Paixao vs Martinelli in 24/25
Players	Paixao	Martinelli
Appearances	24	26
Goals	5	6
Assists	13	2
Goal Involvements per Match	0.75	0.30
All Stats via Transfermarkt

In contrast, the former Ituano gem has scored six goals and provided just two assists in 26 games so far this season, which equates to a seriously underwhelming average of a goal involvement every 3.25 games.

Unfortunately for the Gunners’ number 11, the comparison remains in his compatriot’s favour when we compare their underlying numbers from their performances in the Champions League so far this season.

For example, the 24-year-old game-changer comes out on top in most relevant metrics, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions, key passes and more, all per 90.

The Macapá-born maestro even comes out ahead for tackles won per 90, suggesting he’d be able to provide the defensive cover the Arsenal man so often does.

Paixao vs Martinelli
Stats per 90	Paixao	Martinelli
Non-Penalty G+As	0.88	0.18
Progressive Passes	1.58	2.00
Shots	2.65	1.83
Shots on Target	0.88	0.73
Passing Accuracy	66.2%	75.2%
Key Passes	2.63	2.18
Shot-Creating Actions	4.06	3.11
Goal-Creating Actions	1.41	0.00
Tackles Won	1.23	0.55
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 UCL Campaign

Ultimately, while Martinelli has shown glimpses of brilliance over the last couple of years, they have been nothing more than that, and if Arsenal are to catch Liverpool this season, they’ll need more dangerous attackers.

Therefore, while there is a risk in signing players from the Netherlands, Arsenal should do all they can to secure the services of Paixao, as he looks like an extremely dangerous winger.