Gabriel Martinelli is closing in on a move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal following his exit from Arsenal after being told to find a new club by Mikel Arteta.
The Brazilian winger’s departure has been described as uncomfortable, with the manner of his treatment reportedly causing significant unease among his Arsenal teammates.
According to ESPN, Arteta’s cut-throat approach to moving the player on has caused “some discomfort” among the Arsenal squad, highlighting the tension behind the scenes at the Emirates.
The situation was made worse when Martinelli was excluded from the Community Shield victory over Manchester City, a decision that meant he did not receive a winners’ medal.
For a player who had given several years of service to the club, being frozen out in such a public manner left a bitter taste, both for the winger himself and those close to him at the club.
Martinelli managed just nine Premier League starts since the beginning of the 2025-26 season, a figure that underlines how dramatically his standing under Arteta had fallen.
His goals and assists per 90 minutes had also dropped slightly compared to the previous campaign, giving the Arsenal manager the statistics to justify his decision to move the Brazilian on.
Despite the numbers, those inside the dressing room were reportedly unhappy with how the situation was handled, with Martinelli widely regarded as a popular and committed member of the squad.
Reports suggest that while Martinelli himself had been committed to staying and fighting for his place, Arsenal were reluctantly pushing toward a sale as they looked to refresh their attacking options.
Al-Hilal are understood to be preparing a deal worth in the region of £60m to bring the winger to the Saudi Pro League, a move that would represent one of the more high-profile exits of the summer transfer window.
The snub of Arteta following such a difficult end to his Arsenal career speaks volumes about the strained relationship between player and manager by the time the departure was confirmed.
Martinelli’s exit marks the end of a significant chapter at Arsenal, where he had been one of the more exciting attacking talents to emerge during the club’s recent period of growth under Arteta’s management.
