Gabriel Martinelli has made it clear to Mikel Arteta, which defender he should attempt to sign in the summer transfer window ahead of next season.
Martinelli sung the praises for Nottingham forest right-back Djed Spence, and he is a player the Gunners have kept a close eye on recently.
Charles Watts from Goal has reported that Arsenal want to sign Spence, who was a target of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window
Spence had been linked with the club ever since his magnificent performance in the third round of the FA Cup, where Arsenal were embarrassingly eliminated at the hands of Nottingham Forest.
Martinelli was asked about the toughest individual opponent he has faced by The Athletic, and he said: “Actually the guy from Nottingham Forest, Djed Spence, who played against in the FA Cup.
He is strong, good on the ball, calm & quick.” He added.
“I was surprised; he is a really good player.”
Spence had pocketed Gabriel Martinelli who was on magnificent form for the Gunners in the weeks leading up to the cup tie.
The Englishman then carried his excellent display into the fourth round of the FA Cup against Leicester City, where Forest surprisingly ran rampant in a 4-1 victory.
Spence played a big part in this win getting on the scoresheet and was solid defensively as he also won seven of his duels.
Despite the excellent acquisition of Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna in a bargain £19.8m deal, Arteta’s side still requires another right-back in the squad.
Signing a right-back in the summer transfer window must be a high priority for Edu, which is also potentially a reason why the club have been heavily linked to Spence.
While Spence has been excellent in the FA Cup recently, it would still be a risky deal to complete due to how unproven he is, but Martinelli’s comments could appeal to Arteta in completing a deal for the English full-back.
There are certainly better options, such as Tariq Lamptey, because not only does his quality make him an attractive signing, but it is also because he will provide a completely different style of play to Tomiyasu, as the Englishman is better on the overlap, and providing a threat to the opposition box.
However, if Lamptey’s acquisition is not possible then Spence could be a good backup option in the summer, as it will be a necessity for the Gunners to sign a full-back.
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