Al-Hilal announced yesterday that Gabriel Martinelli has completed a £60 million move to the Saudi Pro League, bringing to an end a 7-year stint with Arsenal.
The 25-year-old Brazilian brought to an end his stay at the Emirates Stadium, following a rapid breakdown in relations between himself and Arteta.
Despite being one of only 3 players, alongside William Saliba and Bukayo Saka, who remain from when the Spaniard took over in December 2019, and having helped the club to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season, Martinelli had been excluded from the beginning of the Gunners’ campaign, not included in the squad for either the Community Shield or the Premier League opener against Coventry.
The decision followed reports that Arteta had met with the winger to discuss his future prior to the season starting, with the manager rumoured to have expressed that Martinelli was now surplus to requirements at the Emirates, paving the path for a move away. He had previously been linked with a switch to Galatasaray but rejected an approach from the Turkish club.
Goodbye message emits mention of Arteta
In the aftermath of the announcement, Martinelli shared an emotional farewell across his social media platforms, failing to mention his now-former manager of 6 and a half years.
“I can only thank the staff and my teammates,” Martinelli wrote. “Thank you to the chefs, kit staff, doctors, doormen, security staff, media team, cleaning staff, physios, and every single teammate who has been part of my story from 2019 until today. And to the fans, thank you for everything. Since my first day, you made me feel at home. Every time I stepped on the pitch, despite everything, I tried to give everything I had for this shirt. To Arsenal, thank you for believing in me and giving me the chance to show myself to the world.”
He continued: “Most of all, I want to thank my family and my wife, who have been by my side throughout this entire journey, giving me all the emotional support I needed to overcome the challenges that only we truly know. It has been a long journey, too much history and now it has come to an end.”
To conclude, he added: “I’m writing this with tears in my eyes, so hard to put 7 years into words. From 35 to 11. Once a Gunner, Always a Gunner. Goodbye, and thank you again.”
Potential unrest and failure to find a replacement
Martinelli departs North London having made 278 appearances for the club, during which he netted 62 times. The 25-year-old joined in July 2019 under previous manager Unai Emery, and quickly established himself as a favourite both with supporters and teammates alike. It comes as no suprise then that his departure has led to rumours of unrest within the dressing room at Sobha Realty.
Numerous senior players are said to be disappointed with his complete exclusion from the squad during the build-up to the start of the new campaign. Arsenal legend Ian Wright also commented following Arsenal’s opening-day win against Coventry. Speaking on Sky Sports, the former striker stated: “The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable.”
Many fans have also raised frustrations at the club’s inability to bring in a suitable replacement for the winger. Having brought in Christos Tzolis earlier in the window for £34 million in the wake of Leandro Trossard’s departure, both fans and pundits alike expected Arsenal to bring in some form of attacker, having seen efforts for Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior, Kenan Yildiz and Julian Alvarez all lead to nothing this summer
It remains to be seen how the impact of Martinelli’s departure will affect Arsenal and their ambitions to retain their Premier League crown, as well as go deep in the other competitions this season; however, one thing is for certain; they will now have to cope with only one recognised out-and-out left-winger.