According to Daily Star, Pep Guardiola is looking to strengthen his squad in January and Bernardo Silva has given the manager a glowing report of his international teammate Gelson Martins. However, Arsenal are leading the race to land the 23-year-old Portuguese winger in January with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Everton all keeping an eye on the player. (h/t Daily Star)
Manchester City have one of the most formidable squads in the Premier League. Given the abundance of attacking talents City have in their ranks, Guardiola did not spend too much on transfers in the summer and resorted to a solitary move to land Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City. With John Stones, Vincent Kompany, Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte and Nicolas Otamendi in the squad, the Sky Blues have enough cover at the back as well.
However, the central midfield is one position that should be concerning for the manager as he does not have too many options to replace Fernandinho. Hence, City should look to invest in a central midfielder and they have been linked with Borussia Dortmund’s holding midfielder Julian Weigl (h/t Daily Star).
As far as Martins is concerned, Manchester City have plenty of options down the wings. Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez have all been in good form and the manager has found it tough to accommodate all the players in the squad.
Not denying the fact that Guardiola has rotated his players well but it must be noted that someone like Leroy Sane has been given limited game time this season. And Gelson Martins, who is estimated to cost around £30m, cannot expect any better.
Hence, joining Everton should be the ideal choice for Martins and he can expect his career to take a positive turnaround under Marco Silva’s stewardship.
The 23-year-old terminated his contract with former club Sporting Lisbon and joined Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid on a free transfer. Given the fact that he recently signed a five-year contract, his value should rise in the coming days.
An inverted right-winger by trade, Martins has shown the versatility to play on either side of the pitch and also as a right-back. He is a player defined by insane speed and combines his lightning pace with flair and athleticism to add that spark to the attack.
His technical prowess allows him to receive the ball with minimal errors and run comfortably with the ball at his feet. Although he lacks the physical strength to hustle his way past the defenders, he is quite adept at holding on to the ball and has the ability to take quick turns to buy himself that extra yard of space. A winger with a keen eye for crosses and defence-splitting through balls, Martins has shown the ability to link effectively with his teammates.
To put things into perspective, an inverted winger of his calibre should be a valuable addition to a team like Everton. Silva’s style of play allows pacy wingers to flourish and the new manager added Richarlison to his squad in the summer. Theo Walcott, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have all flourished under Marco Silva and Martins should fit into the squad as well. Furthermore, Martins is most likely to make a mark in a free-flowing style of play which is on offer at Goodison Park.
That said, Everton should look to make a handsome bid for the Portuguese winger in January. The Toffees will need more depth in their squad if they make it to Europe next season.
