If history tells us anything about South American players, it’s two things…
They tend to dream of playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona, and secondly, representing their nation is a big deal.
I don’t want to put a damper on the one positive of our season but if Martinelli continues his development it will be a case of when, and not if, one of Spain’ big boys come sniffing.
Worst case we have learnt from previous mistakes, and if we have to ever sell we can demand silly money for an asset we only paid 6 million for. That’s how you run a football club…
In the short term though we should be doing everything to make sure the teenager and his family are happy in London.
So, I’m worried that in the summer, instead of talking about a wage increase, sponsorship deals, etc, we seem to have made a decision which instead will make the striker unhappy; i.e. not allowing him to go to the Olympics.
It would be wrong of me to say Brazilians care about international football more than other countries, but we have seen the religious/fanatical relationship Brazil have with the sport.
Certainly, when it comes to being an Olympic event, if you’re born in Europe you might not appreciate the significance of taking part in the Under 23 tournament, but Messi and Neymar were both in tears when they won their gold medals.
Obviously, they were precocious young talent who Barca would have preferred to have kept rested, but they didn’t want to upset their biggest stars.
Imagine one of those two having to sit at home and watch their nation win something and having to regret missing that for the rest of their lives.
Brazil are probably favourites to win in Tokyo. If you deny them the opportunity, you are forcing a kid to miss such an opportunity – and for what?
The scheduled dates are July 22nd -/August 8th – the day the Prem kicks off.
So, wow, he misses pre-season and if he got to the Final, missing one game, or maybe two depending on fitness. Yet what kind of form will he be in if he’s wishing he was elsewhere?
From a human perspective and even for Arsenal in the long term, Martinelli missing the start of our campaign is worth the positive of him arriving back with a gold medal. He will be top of the world, maybe even with a Golden Boot to his name, which can only make him a better player and an even better asset.
It’s a chance at such a tender age to get that taste of winning things, something our squad lacks at the monent. And the Kroenke family will like this…
If you’re the main striker, who’s scoring for Brazil in an Olympic Final, you become a marketing dream. Don’t think he won’t have advisors telling him that the likes of Puma, Adidas, etc, are queuing up for his signature.
We don’t want agents whispering in his ear, telling him how Arsenal let him down by not letting him chase his dream.
So, honestly, should Arsenal let the kid go to the Olympics?
Be kind in the comments…
Dan Smith