David James insists Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli could take his game to the next level under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
The Reds boss is a huge fan of the Brazilian stating he is an ‘outstanding player,’ and that ‘everybody should remember that name’ for years to come, after his side sealed a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the Premier League earlier this season.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper and England international James feels the 20-year-old would fit in among Anfield’s attacking options ‘seamlessly’ as he believes they should target the winger.
James told GGRecon: ‘Gabriel Martinelli is one player who I get excited by. If it was a choice between Martinelli and Raphinha, I would go for Martinelli.
‘He’s young and he’s got everything you need. It’s almost like a slightly rawer Díaz, and the beauty of Diaz is that he can play basically anywhere.
‘Martinelli obviously occupies the left a lot more. I always think that with a good environment and age, you can manipulate a player into something else, and I think Martinelli fits that criteria.
‘He’s young and more than capable. And I can imagine him in a Liverpool kit, doing what he does with Arsenal, if not better, and just fitting in seamlessly.
‘If you look at Liverpool’s recruitment, the age of the players they’re buying – they’re young.
‘They’re kind of like ‘we’ve already got the team now, but what’s it going to look like in the future?’ and they’re bringing in those players to fill in those spaces where if [Roberto] Firmino, [Sadio] Mane, Salah drop out, they’ll be ready to go and replace them.’
Martinelli has scored five goals in 19 Premier League appearances this season and taken hold of the position on the left of Arsenal’s front line since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left for Barcelona in January.
The youngster also recently revealed he has no ambition to play elsewhere and is focused on bringing titles to the Emirates Stadium, when speaking to ESPN Brazil.
‘We have a young group, we have a lot of time ahead of us, players with a lot of quality, I think we will achieve great things,’ Martinelli said.
‘Our focus is the Champions League. Fighting for that top four. A club like Arsenal has to be in the Champions League. It’s our total focus.
‘We always want more. Of course, Arsenal are a giant team.
‘If I can, I’ll stay here my whole life. I want to conquer things, as I said, I want to stay here and win titles, with these wonderful fans, my team-mates.’
Martinelli is currently under contract at Arsenal until 2024, with the Gunners holding a club option on the 20-year-old for a further year.