Gabriel Martinelli appears destined to depart Arsenal for Al-Hilal shortly, having been excluded from Mikel Arteta’s senior side in decisive fashion.
The 25-year-old has not appeared for the club this campaign, with the North London outfit eager to move him on prior to the transfer deadline.
The Brazilian has endured a lengthy seven-year stint in the capital, finding the net 62 times across 278 matches. It seems his final appearance under Arteta has already occurred.
He was absent from the matchday groups for the Super Cup triumph over Manchester City and the season-opening victory against Coventry.
Martinelli’s contract expires in under a year and Arsenal have concluded this represents the ideal opportunity to sell. After rejecting a move to Galatasaray, the forward now appears set to sign for Al-Hilal in a deal worth approximately £50million, which would constitute Arsenal’s biggest ever outgoing transfer.
That financial injection will help the club pursue the marquee attacking signing they have chased throughout the window, with Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez continuing to be discussed as a possible acquisition.
Yet the reported approach to pushing Martinelli toward the exit has reportedly had repercussions.
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ESPN Brazil reports that, unsurprisingly, Martinelli is displeased with how he has been marginalised in recent weeks. The winger allegedly did not receive a medal for the side’s Super Cup triumph and teammates have expressed significant support for him.
As Mirror Football has reported, shifting Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira before the September deadline has been considered a vital component of Arsenal’s summer business.
However, Arteta’s handling of this situation has risked generating negative reaction. Speaking to Sky Sports after Friday evening’s 3-0 victory against Coventry, club legend Ian Wright commented that Martinelli’s current situation made him feel uneasy.
He always gives maximum effort, we are not claiming he is the best player ever, but he has produced significant contributions for Arsenal in crucial matches, and the way he is being treated at the conclusion here – I understand they may want him gone and many people are saying it is time for him to depart, but there are appropriate methods of handling that which should respect him as well.
He continued: For him to be completely uninvolved just makes me feel somewhat sad for him. I believe he has accomplished enough for this team to warrant being treated with greater respect than he is currently receiving.
Martinelli is positioned to become Arsenal’s all-time highest departure, eclipsing the £35million Liverpool spent on midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017. He would follow Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Christian Norgaard out the exit door this summer.