Martinelli's Arsenal Exit: Arteta's Ruthless Decision
Gabriel Martinelli’s Arsenal story is being pushed towards a brutal final chapter, and this time it is Mikel Arteta holding the pen.
The Brazilian, the club’s longest-serving player, has been told in clear terms to find a new club, with a move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal now close. For a winger who has carried so much of Arsenal’s recent history on his shoulders, the ending is anything but gentle.
From mainstay to outcast
Not long ago, Martinelli was a fixture in every conversation about Arsenal’s future. Now he is not even in the room. The 23-year-old has been frozen out of recent matchday squads, completely absent as the champions began the defence of their Premier League title.
His exclusion has not gone unnoticed inside the dressing room. ESPN reports that Arteta’s hard-line stance has caused “some discomfort” among the squad, with several players strongly sympathetic towards Martinelli’s situation. A ruthless edge has always been part of Arteta’s rebuild, but this one has clearly cut deep.
The flashpoint came at Wembley.
When Arsenal beat Manchester City in the Community Shield, Martinelli was left out entirely and did not receive a winners’ medal. Globo Esporte describes the forward as “greatly disappointed” by that call, while senior figures in the squad were also said to be unhappy with the decision. For many, that was the moment the writing on the wall turned from faint pencil to thick marker.
A new left flank
Arsenal’s summer business has only underlined the direction of travel. The club paid around £34 million for highly rated attacker Christos Tzolis, a sizeable investment in a position Martinelli once called his own. On top of that, the club launched an ambitious – and ultimately unsuccessful – attempt to prise Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid, a move that screamed of a planned overhaul on the left.
Each step pushed Martinelli further towards the margins.
His omission from the Premier League opener against Coventry City removed any lingering doubt. A player who made his debut in 2019 and has since amassed close to 300 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal suddenly looks like an inevitable departure rather than a selection dilemma.
Legacy and last act
Martinelli’s influence dipped slightly last season, but he was still central to a historic campaign: a run to the Champions League final and Arsenal’s first league title since 2004. For a club that has lurched through eras and identities, he has been a constant presence through the turbulence.
Yet constancy rarely survives a winning manager’s next phase. Arteta, fresh from delivering the title, is clearly prepared to be as unsentimental as the elite game demands.
A move to Galatasaray was on the table but never truly stirred the player. The Turkish giants’ approach failed to convince him, and attention turned elsewhere. Globo Esporte now reports that Martinelli has given the green light to a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, having overcome initial reluctance about the switch.
The price of a rebuild
One hurdle remains: the fee.
Arsenal are said to be holding out for a package of around £60 million for a forward who has given them five years of service and a mountain of appearances. ESPN suggests the final agreement is more likely to land closer to £40 million as negotiations with Al Hilal continue.
For Arsenal, it would mark a decisive, almost cold-blooded pivot in the wake of glory: cashing in on a symbol of the previous climb to fund the next evolution.
For Martinelli, it would mean trading the roar of the Emirates for the Saudi Pro League and a very different stage, leaving behind a title-winning squad that, suddenly, no longer has room for him.
