Arsenal have come a long way under the guidance of Mikel Arteta from midtable mediocrity to genuine title challengers.
Alongside Edu Gaspar, the Spaniard has overseen a dramatic overhaul of the playing squad, although there have been a few survivors from the one he inherited in December 2019, such as Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian is now one of the most important players at the club, and his soaring value has come to reflect that reality.
Gabriel Martinelli's valuation at Arsenal
Martinelli joined the Gunners in the summer of 2019 for just £6m from Brazilian fourth-tier outfit Ituano to little fanfare and meagre expectations. After all, he was a teenager nobody in England had heard of before.
However, he quickly showed people who he was, scoring ten goals and providing four assists in just 26 games in his first season at the club. Had he not suffered three injuries that saw him miss 188 days of action, he'd have likely ended the season with an even more impressive record.
Over the subsequent two campaigns, the Guarulhos-born gem produced just 17 goal involvements in 58 appearances. Still, he truly came into a league of his own last year, scoring 15 goals, providing six assists and playing a pivotal role in the north Londoners' surprise title charge.
The 22-year-old hasn't quite hit the heights of last season so far this year, but his return of eight goals and five assists in 32 games has still been invaluable, as has his tireless running.
2019/20
26
10
4
0.53
2020/21
22
2
2
0.18
2021/22
36
6
7
0.36
2022/23
46
15
6
0.45
2023/24
32
8
5
0.40
Martinelli's growing importance to the team has been reflected in his soaring valuation over the last four and a half years, with Football Transfers' Expected Value model pricing him at just €4m – £3m – when he signed in July 2019, and at €64m – £55m today, and at this rate, he's sure to become more valuable than a former Arsenal star would be worth today.
Alexis Sanchez's valuation in 2024
Yes, the Arsenal star in question is Chilean magician and controversial figure Alexis Sanchez, and while his departure from the club has unquestionably sullied his image in north London, his brilliance over the three and a half years he spent at the Emirates cannot be denied.
During his unbelievable stint in red and white, the "special" winger, as described by Bukayo Saka, scored 80 goals and provided 45 assists in just 166 games, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 0.75 games, which is a record that frankly isn't talked about enough.
The magical talent won the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award in his first season at the club, played a crucial role in the Gunners' 2015 and 2017 FA Cup triumphs, and won three Community Shields to boot.
In all, while his move to Manchester United has ruined his legacy in the eyes of most Arsenal fans, his outrageously good performances shouldn't be forgotten – but how much would he be worth today?
Appearances
52
41
51
22
Goals
25
17
30
8
Assists
12
11
18
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.71
0.68
0.94
0.54
This question can be answered thanks to the clever people at Totally Money, who have crunched the numbers and run the calculations to tell us.
Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe's top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.
They have calculated that the £38.2m Arsenal paid Barcelona for his services in July 2014 would be worth almost double that today, coming in at around £68.8m, or about £13m more than Martinelli is currently worth.
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However, given the Brazilian's form over the last couple of years, his age, and his technical ability, it probably won't be long before he surpasses Sanchez's valuation from 2014 and 2024.
