Contact made: Arsenal target "explosive" £25m Martinelli & Trossard upgrade

While they still have a chance in the Champions League, Arsenal’s domestic season is now all but over.

Mikel Arteta’s side crashed out of the FA Cup and League Cup and are a distant second to Liverpool in the Premier League.

Now, while the vast number of injuries the club have had to deal with this year have undoubtedly played their part in this disappointing situation, the lacklustre form of their attackers hasn’t helped either.

For example, neither Leandro Trossard nor Gabriel Martinelli have been anywhere near their best, and, based on recent reports, that could cost them their place in the side next season.

Arsenal’s winger search

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in signing Feyenoord’s exciting Igor Paixão.

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In fact, alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that fellow Premier League sides Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Bournemouth have made contact and expressed their interest in signing the exciting winger.

While the level of competition is far from ideal, the good news is that it might not be a particularly expensive deal to complete, with the report claiming that the player is valued at around €30m by the Dutch side, which is about £25m.

In all, while it could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, Paixão’s immense quality makes it one well worth pursuing, especially as he could be the perfect upgrade on Martinelli and Trossard.

How Paixão compares to Trossard and Martinelli

The good news for Arsenal and Arteta is that with Bukayo Saka and now Ethan Nwaneri, the right-wing position could and probably should be covered for years to come.

Unfortunately, this season has proven that the same can not be said for the opposite flank, as Martinelli has carried over his underwhelming form from last year, and Trossard has taken a significant step back in terms of effectiveness as well.

This is where Paixão comes in, as so far this season, he has been superb for Feyenoord, both domestically and in Europe, so he could prove to be a real upgrade on Arteta’s options should he be signed this summer.

The best way to show how much better the Brazilian has been is to simply compare his output to that of his potential new teammates.

For example, in 38 appearances this season, totalling 3176 minutes, the “explosive” 24-year-old, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists.

That means he has averaged a goal involvement every 1.46 games, or every 122.15 minutes so far this year, which is the sort of output Arteta could really do with.

In contrast, the former Ituano gem has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 38 appearances, totalling 2500 minutes, and the former Brighton & Hove Albion star has scored six goals and provided seven assists in 43 appearances, totalling 2665 minutes.

So, that means the Brazilian ace is averaging a goal involvement every 3.45 games, or every 227.27 minutes, while the Belgian is doing marginally better and averaging a goal involvement every 3.3 games, or every 205 minutes, which still isn’t really enough.

Ultimately, Martinelli and Trossard are incredibly talented footballers who, at their very best, can be ruthlessly efficient, but it’s been some time since either was anywhere near their best, while Paixão seems to be going from strength to strength in Rotterdam.

Therefore, Arsenal should do what they can to bring the Feyenoord star to the Emirates this summer before someone else gets him first.

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