Arsenal technical director Edu has stated that new signing Marquinhos will need time to adapt to life in the Premier League after arriving in north London this summer.
Speaking to TNT Brazil, the former Gunners midfielder revealed that the club will take their time with Marquinhos after signing from South America, with Arsenal set to allow Edu’s latest project to have time to develop before being allowed to play regular senior football.
Marquinhos signed for Arsenal this summer from Sao Paulo and was a part of the Gunners’ pre-season tour of the United States, with the teenage winger impressing in the sparce minutes Mikel Arteta has gifted the Brazilian youngster, who could be the club’s latest success story from South America.
Gabriel Martinelli was Edu’s first signing as technical director of Arsenal, with the 21-year-old now a full Brazilian international and one of the club’s most important players, and Arteta will be hopeful of a similar triumph with Marquinhos, who could explode in the coming weeks.
Indeed, whilst there is talk that Marquinhos could leave on loan for the season, Arsenal could keep the attacker in England for the year to fully catch up to speed on how to play in the Premier League, and Edu has admitted that the club will do all they can to help with the youngster’s development.
Edu said on Marquinhos: “We have to be careful. Marquinhos is part of long-term project, he needs to adapt and gradually ease into this process. We have to be calm, I told him and his family that we will protect him. We’ll take care of Marquinhos.”
The leap from South America to England is one of the biggest culture shocks any young football can experience, yet for Arsenal and their success with Martinelli, Edu is playing a smart hand by carefully managing Marquinhos’ career for the upcoming season.
After all, the teenager would never have experienced anything like the Premier League during his time with Sao Paulo, and Arsenal could do with repeating the plan they did with Martinelli with Marquinhos by giving the youngster minutes in cup competitions at the start of the season.
