Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has extended his contract with the club, something that could set up Arsenal's worst nightmare in the coming years. Over the last two decades, the Gunners have been forced to sell some of their best players to Premier League rivals, with the likes of Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez joining Manchester United in 2012 and 2018 respectively whilst French playmaker Samir Nasri swapped the Emirates Stadium for Manchester City's Etihad Stadium in 2011.
And Klopp extending his stay in Merseyside could potentially increase the likelihood that one of Arsenal's new stars leaves in the next few years. The veteran German coach has made it no secret of his admiration for Brazilian starlet Gabriel Martinelli, heaping praise on the young attacker on multiple occasions.
After a thrilling 5-5 Carabao Cup draw in 2019, Klopp said of Martinelli: "Martinelli’s pretty much the same age [as Liverpool defender Sepp Van De Berg] but he’s a talent of the century, he’s an incredible striker, so it’s really difficult. It was not in this game only.
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"I watch a lot of football, so I saw the Europa League games of Arsenal. He’s 18 years old, right?
"So our scouting department is all over the world and stuff like this, but I think Edu gets all the credit for that signing – he came from… wherever. He’s really unbelievable.
"So young, looks so mature already, is a proper threat. Yeah, he looks like a really decent player.
"I didn’t want to put any backpack [pressure] on his back with this thing [his earlier remarks] but I just really like good football players and obviously he’s a very good one." The former Borussia Dortmund boss doubled down on his previous comments earlier this year following Liverpool's 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
He said: "Apart from the diagonal balls to Martinelli which Trent (Alexander-Arnold) defended incredibly, the boy Martinelli is such a talented boy, really tricky and if anybody says Trent can't defend they can come to me and I will knock them down because I cannot hear that anymore, I don't know what the boy has to do!"
While the Reds have never been directly linked with a transfer for the 20-year-old, it is clear that Klopp rates the talented forward extremely highly and his energetic, high-pressing play style certainly could make him considered as a potential Sadio Mane replacement in the coming years.
One Gunners winger that has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield is Bukayo Saka. The England international is into the final 15 months of his contract, with talks over a new deal delayed until the end of the season with the club, and ESPN have previously claimed that the Merseyside-based club could make a move for the Hale End academy graduate if the north London club fail to secure a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.
Mikel Arteta's men currently sit fourth, two points above fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur - although the local rivals will face each other next month in a highly-anticipated north London derby. And Arsenal will be hoping that a strong finish to the season can fend Klopp and Liverpool off a potential move for either of their talented attacking duo.
