Gabriel Martinelli has ended his seven-year spell at Arsenal after completing a £60m move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
The 25-year-old Brazil international has signed a four-year contract with the Saudi side, bringing his time in north London to a close. The transfer guarantees Arsenal £60m and also includes a sell-on fee.
Martinelli had entered the final 12 months of his Arsenal contract and had been informed by manager Mikel Arteta that he was not part of his plans for the current season.
Confirming his switch in an unveiling video shared on Al-Hilal’s social media channels, Martinelli said: “Proud to be blue, proud to be Al-Hilal.”
The forward joins a growing collection of Premier League talent at Al-Hilal. England striker Ollie Watkins moved to the club from Aston Villa earlier in a £51m deal, while Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville arrived from West Ham following their relegation from the Premier League.
The Saudi club, managed by Simone Inzaghi, are currently level at the top of the league with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
Martinelli is also thought to have received a significant increase on the reported £180,000-a-week salary he earned at Arsenal.
His departure comes despite playing an important role in Arsenal’s title-winning campaign last season. Martinelli featured 53 times across all competitions and scored 11 goals as the Gunners secured their first top-flight championship since 2004.
However, his position at the club changed ahead of the new campaign. Martinelli was omitted from Arsenal’s first two matchday squads, with Arteta making clear that regular playing opportunities would be difficult to find if the Brazilian remained at the Emirates Stadium.
The handling of the situation attracted criticism, including from former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who questioned the way Martinelli was being treated after he was left out of the squad for the opening match against Coventry.
“The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable,” Wright told Sky Sports.
“I know they might want him out, and a lot of people might say, ‘yeah, it’s time for him to move him on’. But there’s ways of doing that and it should suit him as well, how he wants to leave.”
Martinelli originally joined Arsenal from Brazilian club Ituano in 2019. Seven years later, he leaves as a Premier League title winner and begins the next stage of his career with Al-Hilal.
