Martinelli completes £60m move from Arsenal to Al-Hilal

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has completed a £60m move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, bringing an end to his seven-year spell with the Gunners. 

The transfer includes a guaranteed £60m fee and a sell-on clause, with the Brazil international signing a four-year contract with the Saudi side.

Martinelli joined Arsenal from Brazilian club Ituano in 2019 and went on to establish himself as an important attacking player at the Emirates Stadium. 

However, the 25-year-old had just 12 months remaining on his contract and was informed by manager Mikel Arteta that he was no longer part of his plans for the new season.

The winger was subsequently left out of Arsenal’s first two matchday squads, increasing speculation over his future. 

Despite making 53 appearances in all competitions last season and scoring 11 goals during Arsenal’s title-winning campaign, Martinelli was unable to secure a place in Arteta’s plans.

Al-Hilal have moved quickly to strengthen their squad, and Martinelli will join several high-profile players at the Saudi club. 

He is set to play alongside former Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who arrived in a £51m deal, while Crysencio Summerville also joined from West Ham during the summer.

Martinelli is also expected to receive a significant wage increase, with reports suggesting his Al-Hilal contract is worth considerably more than the £180,000-a-week deal he earned at Arsenal.

Following his unveiling, the Brazilian declared himself “proud to be blue, proud to be Al-Hilal.”

The decision to leave Martinelli out of Arsenal’s opening fixture had drawn criticism, including from former Gunners striker Ian Wright. 

Wright said he was uncomfortable with how Martinelli was being treated and argued that, if Arsenal wanted the forward to leave, the process should be handled in a way that also suited the player. 

Martinelli’s departure now closes his Arsenal chapter as he begins a new challenge in Saudi Arabia.