I’ve genuinely seen Arsenal fans on social media complaining about Galatasaray offering ‘only’ €45m for Gabriel Martinelli, whilst urging their club not to sign Pedro Neto.I’m not sure what planet these fans live on, but that Martinelli fee can be very easily explained with the number one, representing the number of years left on his current Arsenal contract, and the number of Premier League goals he scored last season.This is a player that has only got worse in the last three years, and who is no longer in any way, shape, or form a promising youngster, having turned 25 earlier this summer.Yes, time flies, but it never lies, and the clear and harsh reality now is that Martinelli has had one good season out of seven at the Emirates Stadium.Sure, Arsenal fans have a right to be frustrated at the fact that their biggest ever sale is *still* Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain almost a decade ago, but what else is anyone realistically expecting from this particular player? Sure, at one point the Brazilian looked like a £100m star in the making, having scored 15 goals in the 2022/23 season when he was still only 21, but the same fans complaining now would also have rioted in the streets if the Gunners cashed in on him at that point, just as Mikel Arteta started building what looked like an inevitable title-winning side.Martinelli may not have ended up being a pivotal part of that, but that’s the risk you take as a big club – if you’re not in the business of selling your best players, you will most likely keep hold of them until they either retire as a club legend (dream scenario) or enter into decline and lose their value (what happens in probably 90% of cases unless you specifically set out to be a Bournemouth or a Brighton).Take the money and run…to Pedro NetoChelsea finished 10th last season yet are demanding:£75M for Gusto£70M for Neto£65M for JacksonWhy haven’t Arsenal mastered the art of selling yet? https://t.co/juk4INsKkP— Benjamin (@granTurism01) August 13, 2026So yes, €45m from Galatasaray for Martinelli as reported by the Athletic is probably a pretty good deal for Arsenal, and yes, they should very much be thinking about Chelsea’s Pedro Neto as a replacement.It would be fair to say there hasn’t been much enthusiasm about Neto amongst online Arsenal fans, but this again comes across as severely out of touch from a fanbase still high on those unrealistic Vinicius Junior links.i will stop supporting arsenal if we sign pedro neto ngl https://t.co/jUIihxL8iX— jigi esq? (@jigioluwa26) August 13, 2026More Stories / Latest NewsUnpopular opinion: Arsenal fans have lost touch with reality if they don’t want this £75m Gabriel Martinelli replacementAug 13 2026, 14:53Chelsea showing strongest interest in signing Man United wonderkid who’s been compared to MessiAug 13 2026, 14:00Fresh contact made: Chelsea still pursuing £80m transfer, Arsenal now surely out of the raceAug 13 2026, 12:52As things stand, Arsenal are probably not getting Bradley Barcola. They’re also probably not getting Kenan Yildiz. They’re almost certainly not getting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Desire Doue. So who else is there?Face it, Gooners – it’s either £75m for Neto or another season of Martinelli. Deal with the market as it is, rather than as you wish it could be.Also, since when is Neto a player to be sniffed at? He’s 26 years old and has, by all accounts, been a pretty reliable performer for a chaotic Chelsea side that have just finished in mid-table. Maybe Arsenal fans are just fed up of signing Chelsea players, and for that we can probably all have a bit of sympathy, but why are they all acting like signing Jorginho, Kai Havertz, and Noni Madueke (not you, Kepa) in the last few years hasn’t proven pretty important in elevating this team to Premier League champions?Pedro Neto is a clear upgrade on Gabriel MartinelliSee below for a stats comparison of Neto and Martinelli and it really couldn’t be any clearer – the Portuguese is a big upgrade on the Brazilian, and in this difficult market it’s not actually easy to think of anyone for less than £100m who also fits that description…Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustPedro Neto stats vs Gabriel Martinelli (DataMB)Neto would likely cost around £75m, according to Chelsea insider Simon Phillips on YouTube, and in this market that arguably looks like a bargain.Admittedly, he’s not much of a goal-scorer, with just 19 in all competitions in his two seasons at Stamford Bridge, but remember that this has come whilst playing alongside a host of flops all over the pitch and a series of different managers.In a settled squad like Arsenal, under one of the best coaches in the world in Mikel Arteta, Neto could take his game to another level, and make those excellent dribbling and crossing stats count a bit more. Viktor Gyokeres has often been starved off service up front for Arsenal due to the way their wingers have played, but Neto’s directness, whether he’s playing right or left, can speed things up a bit and lead to more of the kinds of chances Gyokeres thrived upon at Sporting Lisbon.If it helps, Gooners, Neto is also wanted by Manchester City, and so this is not some grand conspiracy to get more Arsenal money into Chelsea’s bank accounts. Neto is a good player who’s managed to do a decent job in a pretty poor team, and if you sell Martinelli for around £40m, you’re really only paying just over £30m for him. If you can’t see that that’s pretty excellent business, then good luck ever being happy!The post Unpopular opinion: Arsenal fans have lost touch with reality if they don’t want this £75m Gabriel Martinelli replacement appeared first on CaughtOffside.