Gabriel Martinelli insists ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal team-mate now among ‘best in the world’

Gabriel Martinelli scored in Arsenal’s hard-fought 3-1 win against Southampton on Saturday, continuing his own strong run, but the Brazilian has decided to compliment one of his team-mates.

Gabriel Martinelli feels Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka is now one of the ‘greatest players in the world’.

Saka, 23, set up two goals and scored one himself to help Arsenal defeat Southampton 3-1 on Saturday after falling down at the Emirates. The England international has now recorded seven Premier League assists this season, three more than any other player, and has eclipsed Robert Pires’ Arsenal assist total of 41.

His second goal of the day came for Martinelli, who came off the bench to complete Arsenal’s comeback and score for the second time in a league game. The Brazilian attacker is now convinced that his teammate is one of the finest in the world, with Saka taking over as captain when Jorginho was substituted.

“He’s unbelievable, and one of the best players in the world right now,” Martinelli said after Arsenal won five games in a row. “He’s also a tremendously kind man, so we’re really glad to have him as one of the captains.

Martinelli described his goal as “an unbelievable ball from Bukayo, and I was there to score.” It was a great moment for me and a fantastic goal.”

However, not everyone is impressed with Saka’s talent and consistency, with former Scotland striker Ally McCoist claiming that the 23-year-old should not be labeled ‘world class’. McCoist told talkSPORT: “I truly like him and believe he’s a great player. I believe [Mohamed] Salah is world class, and Saka is international class with the potential to advance to world status.

“There aren’t many people at the world class level.” You’re talking about world-class players like [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Franz] Beckenbauer, and [Johan] Cruyff.

“So, you can’t just chuck things about. Do I like Saka? You better believe I do, and he is vitally essential to Arsenal. There is ongoing progress in him, but I would reserve world class for the time being.”

He hesitantly continued, “I feel bad arguing the debate since I genuinely like him. But I’m wondering, where does it leave Salah?