Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has admitted that he’d love to see his old club make a move to sign Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal.
The exciting young Brazilian forward has been in tremendous form this season, taking his game to another level to help the Gunners go top of the Premier League table.
Martinelli scored and set one up for Arsenal in their 3-2 win over Liverpool at the weekend, and one imagines that, at 21, he’s got even more to offer still in what could be a great career.
Arsenal fans will be excited about watching Martinelli continue to develop, and former LFC man Heskey wouldn’t mind seeing him at Anfield.
Discussing Martinelli’s qualities, Heskey exclusively told Ladbrokes: Fanzone that he’s a player he’d be thinking about for Liverpool, saying: “I can’t see Arsenal letting Gabriel Martinelli go any time soon, but he’d definitely be someone I would be looking at if I was Liverpool.
“If you look at that aggression in his game, and the way he’s played so far this season, there aren’t many out there with his ability. He’s up and down the pitch, non-stop, for 90 minutes. He’s got the ability to drive at players, pull them in and out of positions.
“He’s confident and comfortable on the ball to a point where, as a defender, you aren’t quite sure whether he’s going to have a shot, put a cross in or take you on.
“He’s a fantastic player, and someone who everyone would love to play with and hate to play against. He gives you no time whatsoever.
“There was a time in the game on Sunday where Joel Matip was dealing with a ball in the air, it looked like he had complete control, and then out of nowhere Martinelli comes in, closes him down and took the ball off him. He got his body in the way, and he’s a strong lad these days, so once he’s in that position, he’s hard to beat. That was from something which wasn’t even a 50:50 ball; it was more a 70:30 ball in Matip’s favour.
“Players like that, you’re always going to want in your team.”
Liverpool have suffered since letting Sadio Mane go in the summer, so could perhaps benefit from a tenacious and skilful player like Martinelli coming in to replace him.
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