Arsenal have announced their first signing of the summer and, as expected, it’s the 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli.

Speaking to the Arsenal, site, Martinelli said, “It is a dream since I was a child and also my family’s dream for me to be playing in Europe and playing for a big team like Arsenal. I am going to take this opportunity.”

Martinell’s’ arrival has been expected for a while now with the deal completed long before this announcement.

The reason for holding off with the announcement was likely to do with the new kit being launched on July 1. If Arsenal announced him before, he would have had to pose in the Puma kit.

Arsenal scouts watched the player a lot last season and they held conversations with him back in February. Martinelli spoke to other Premier League clubs at the same time, but none of them were apparently as convincing as Arsenal.

Martinelli caught the eye in this year’s Campeonato Paulista, as he scored six goals and assisted three in 14 appearances. That put him just one goal off the competition’s top scorer and two assists off the top assist provider, despite his young age.

It’s a different prospect playing at the top level in English football, but Arsenal’s scouting team are clearly convinced he has the raw talent and his move is reportedly connected to Edu’s arrival later this month as technical director.

Martinelli will reportedly cost around €7.5m.