Arsenal fans were surprised when Gabriel Martinelli revealed who he thinks is the fastest player at the club.
Although Martinelli himself is known as one of the Premier League’s speediest players and holds the record for the fastest sprint by an Arsenal player this season, he doesn’t see himself as the quickest.
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According to the Brazilian, he ranks himself as only the second fastest, placing …Continue Reading
Asked who he believes is Arsenal’s second fastest player, Martinelli told the club’s official website: ‘I think Kieran Tierney is quicker than me to be fair! I think he’s the first one and I’m the second.’
Kieran Tierney became a regular in Arsenal’s lineup after his £25 million transfer from Celtic in 2019, consistently making at least 25 appearances each season from 2019-20 through 2022-23.
However, after dropping down in Mikel Arteta’s selection, he was loaned out to Real Sociedad last season, where he generally performed well despite a few injury setbacks.
While in La Liga, Tierney expressed uncertainty about his future at Arsenal, and since coming back from Euro 2024 with a hamstring injury, he has yet to appear for the Gunners this season.
Reacting to Martinelli’s claim that Tierney is the ‘fastest player’ at Arsenal, one Gunners supporter wrote on X: ‘There is just no way’, while another said: ‘This cannot be true’ accompanied with a laughing emoji.
After a slower start to the season, Martinelli is now starting to make a greater impact for Arsenal and shares that his teammates are confident they can finally bring home the Premier League title after years of waiting.
Arsenal have suffered just one league loss this season and currently stand in third place, five points behind Manchester City, as they prepare for Saturday’s match against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
‘We have a really good team, really good players,’ Martinelli said. ‘We’ve been second two seasons in a row and we want to make it this year.
‘We know our qualities, we know we can do it, it’s just about being calm. The season is long and we’re still in the beginning so we have to go game by game and it’s very difficult.
‘We have to try to win all of them to be champions. We trust in ourselves and we go for it.
‘We can’t think about the last game of the season if we don’t do our job now. We just try to be focused.’
On the influence of Mikel Arteta, Martinelli added: ‘He’s been really important in my growth in football. I think when he got here I was 19.
‘We’ve been through the process with the team and he has helped not just me but every single player in the squad. For me he was really important, helping me with my game.
‘When I’m on the left, I used to control the ball with my right foot. When he came, he said “no, try to control the ball with your left so you can take the opponent on.”
‘Since then, I tried to do it and nowadays I do it every time, so it’s super easy for me.’
