Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has revealed in an interview that he was snubbed by Barcelona after training with them for a few days.
The talented teenager joined the Gunners last summer from Brazilian club Ituano and has had a hugely impressive debut season so far, netting ten goals in 23 matches in all competitions so far.
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Martinelli said that he was invited by Barcelona to train in La Masia but nothing happened after that. The teenager told Marca: “Shortly before the Sao Paulo Cup I spent a few days training in Barcelona. I spent 15 days there. Barcelona invited me to train with them in La Masia but afterwards they didn’t want to do anything with me, they didn’t tell me anything. I went back to Ituano, I played Copinha and then I came to Arsenal.”
Things have turned out pretty well for Martinelli at Arsenal so far as he is their highest scorer across all competitions after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He’s doing really well at 18 and could go on to become a big name for the club. If the 18-year-old maintains his consistency, he might even attract interest from Barcelona and other top clubs in Europe.
Arsenal’s first match following the winter break is against Newcastle United at the Emirates and Martinelli will be hoping to start and put on an impressive performance.
