At 24 years of age, that's a big call for the Spaniard to make, though a reported £60m fee for Martinelli's services might also suggest that the club were merely testing the waters.
No chance of Martinelli leaving this summer
Seeing as how any interested parties were only prepared to go up to around the £40m mark, there was never any real chance of the player moving on.
With a contract expiring in June 2027, a switch in 12 months' time, in order that Martinelli doesn't run down the final year of his deal before leaving for free, would seem a more sensible time to look to ease him out of the Emirates Stadium exit door.
During his six seasons at the club, the winger has scored 51 goals in 227 games, which isn't a bad return from a wide man.
His electric pace has also proven to be a potent weapon against opposition defences, particularly when Arsenal break.
If there is one element of his game that often needs addressing, it's that Martinelli will want to take on his direct opponent and go for glory himself rather than squaring the ball to a teammate who is much better placed.
Arguably, Arsenal would score a lot more if the Brazilian wasn't always as selfish.
Brazilian's shot conversion is poor
He's not solely to blame of course, but less than half his dribbles (300 from 691 attempted) have been successful, and 52 big chances have been missed by him.
Shooting accuracy in last season's Premier League was decent enough at 62.5%; however, his conversion rate of 14.6% leaves much to be desired. Indeed, only 147 shots from 374 attempted were even on target.
Though Eberechi Eze hasn't been brought in as a direct replacement for Martinelli, the fact is that the England international can play anywhere along the front line with equal aplomb, so if Arteta is looking at the weakest link, the Brazilian could well be looking over his shoulder with interest and more than a little worry.
In 169 games for Crystal Palace, Eze scored 40 goals, so his output is on par with his contemporary.
Where the former Eagle is also found wanting is with his accuracy and conversion, both of which are significantly worse than Martinelli's.
Last season's Premier League fixtures saw him post a 47.5% shot accuracy and a frankly appalling 7.8% shot conversion rate. 118 shots on target from 345 attempted is certainly not a stat worth shouting about.
However, a consistent pass completion rate in the high 80s hints at his importance to Palace and would arguably steer Eze towards the No.10 position at the Emirates Stadium.
Martinelli's passing stats are poor by comparison, and they fluctuate between the mid-80s and the low-60s.
Eze as Arsenal's No.10?
Surely having Eze as a creator par excellence with a handful of goals to boot is far more appealing for Arteta than trying to shoehorn him into a position that isn't going to be conducive to showing off his talent.
Though he can play there, it's not his best position, and if Arsenal are serious about trying to get over the line in the Premier League title race this season, it's imperative that Arteta allows his players licence to create in the positions that suit his staff the best.
Once the Champions League kicks in as well as the domestic cup competitions, the depth of the Arsenal squad will truly be tested.
Given that Eze was joined by the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and more this summer, there's a real belief that even if injuries to key players start to bite, the Gunners will have enough about them to cover any eventuality.
Players need rhythm to showcase their best work
The important thing for Arteta is that all of his players are playing to their maximum level week in and week out, or at least showing an improvement in order to get there.
As part of that process, it's incumbent upon the manager to give those players a decent run in the side in order to build up some sort of rhythm.
It's clear that players who are in and out of the side are not going to provide the sort of consistency that the Spaniard will be looking for, and Eze not starting in the game against Liverpool was an example of that as well as a surprise.
In hindsight, he did little to affect the outcome, so suggestions that Arteta got that decision right aren't necessarily incorrect, though one must factor in how much time Eze had on the pitch to do himself justice.
As he looks ahead to the hope of a stellar career in North London, it will be interesting to see just how long Martinelli remains one of his teammates...
