Arsenal are likely to sign a winger in the summer transfer window as they have struggled for depth at the position.
Mikel Arteta’s side look set to finish second in the Premier League yet again, and is hoping to land a piece of silverware at the end of the season via the Champions League. They are currently 3-0 up in their quarter-final tie against Real Madrid.
They will be looking to add depth in attack in the summer after seeing injuries to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
The Gunners have been heavily linked to signing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, who impressed at the Euros last summer for the eventual champions Spain. He attracted interest from Chelsea too, but looks more likely to move to Arsenal than anywhere else.
Williams has made 39 appearances for Bilbao, scoring nine goals and seven assists for the La Liga side. He has a £48 million release clause in his contract, and is demanding a hefty wage, which would make him one of the highest-paid Arsenal players in the squad.
Arsenal don’t need Nico Williams
With his hefty wage demands and £48m price tag, Williams would be s significant investment for Arsenal. But how much game time would he actually get?
The Gunners will start Saka on the right wing, so then Williams would have to compete with Martinelli on the other side. However, Martinelli has shown no reason why he should be replaced this summer.
Martinelli has scored seven goals and provided six assists in 41 appearances for Arsenal this season, relatively similar numbers to Williams at Bilbao. Seeing as he would be expensive, Arsenal should instead pursue Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane who is due to become a free agent in the summer.
He has scored 11 goals in 38 games this season for Bayern, which is better than Martinelli and Williams. He would cost a lot less than Williams, and not expect to be starting every game over Martinelli due to the fact that he has struggled for consistent game time under Vincent Kompany this season.
Sane also has experience winning a Premier League title during his time at Man City when he played under Pep Guardiola, AND Mikel Arteta, who was Guardiola’s assistant at the time.
Click here to see Arsenal’s latest injury news and expected return dates.
