Report – Roma Target Omitted from Arsenal’s Community Shield Squad

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has recently attracted interest from Roma, and the Brazilian forward could soon leave London. According to Fabrizio Romano, Mikel Arteta has omitted the winger from his squad for today’s Community Shield clash against Manchester City.

Martinelli fell out of favor at the Emirates Stadium last season and could soon wave goodbye to the Gunners. However, the player has already turned down Galatasaray’s approach, as he aims to remain in Europe’s top five leagues. Meanwhile, Roma are on the lookout for a new forward to bolster their attacking ranks.

Gian Piero Gasperini is keen to increase Roma’s firepower after helping the club return to the Champions League for the first time since 2018/19. Yet, they already missed out on Crysencio Summerville, who joined Al-Hilal. Meanwhile, the pursuit of Strasbourg’s Diego Moreira looks complicated.

Therefore, they’ve recently earmarked Martinelli as a viable target.

Our take on Roma & Martinelli

Despite losing his starting spot at Arsenal, Martinelli would be a major signing for Roma, especially now that Matias Soule could leave the Stadio Olimpico. On the other hand, Arteta’s decision to leave him out of his Community Shield squad shows the Gunners’ willingness to offload the 25-year-old.

Still, the former Ituano man won’t come cheap. His contract expires next summer, but it may take up to €40 million to get the deal over the line. As such, Roma would have to make a sizeable investment, but Martinelli’s Premier League experience and proven goalscoring ability could make him worth the gamble.