Gabriel Martinelli has lifted the lid on Arsenal as Mikel Arteta's squad chases glory in the Champions League, Premier League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup
Keith Webster
12:53, 09 Mar 2026
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli
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Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli
Even though they have won nothing yet, Arsenal and Gabriel Martinelli have gone about making their case this season.
Not only do Mikel Arteta’s Gunners lead the Premier League on the home front, but they waltzed through the Champions League league phase with a perfect eight games to set up a tie with Bayer Leverkusen and to lay down a marker with other clubs that they are the ones to beat.
And for Brazil star, Martinelli, he topped all of the club’s previous famous strikers by becoming the first Arsenal player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches.
For Martinelli, though, attitude counts just as much and he knows the big work is not over - it is only just about to make a start.
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“We have to work even harder to stay in this position,” Martinelli told UEFA.com. “When everyone started playing football, if they had been told they would find themselves top of the Champions League and the Premier League, they would have embraced the opportunity.
“We have to deal with this opportunity, it is a privilege, and give our best so that we can be champions.
“The most noticeable thing for everyone has been our performances on the pitch. From the outside, you can see our development, competing for titles, and that’s what we have to do. That’s what we want to achieve, playing for Arsenal — win titles.”
When it comes to developing that mindset, Martinelli is in high praise of his manager and what he does, after he led them to the semi-finals in Europe last season.
“Getting it into everyone’s head, not only us, the players, but everyone at the training ground, the fans, that Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world and must look to be in every competition and win them.
“Since his first day, that was his main message. We’re trying to improve every season and learn from our mistakes, and we want to do better this season.”
Arsenal recruited well in the summer, signing a raft of players in Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres.
And Martinelli added: “They are fantastic guys, both on and off the pitch. Every new signing has added a lot to the squad and the club, so I’m very happy with the new faces here.
“This results from having multiple quality players as an option in the squad. We certainly didn’t have the same starting 11 in those eight [league phase] games. I’m very happy with our campaign, the quality of our game, and the performance of everyone. That definitely gives us confidence.
“It’s pretty important for us to have the second game at home with the support of our fans. We know how hard it is to win this tournament, how hard it is to get to the final.”
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