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After Mikel Arteta made it painfully and unambiguously clear just how far down the pecking order Gabriel Martinelli has fallen at Arsenal this season, the Brazilian is now reportedly "open" to leaving the Premier League champions, according to multiple sources.
Martinelli occupies a curious place within the Arsenal setup. It has been three years since the Brazilian last reached double figures for Premier League goals in a single campaign, and a significant portion of the fanbase would acknowledge that better options likely exist in the transfer market. Nevertheless, this lovable figure who has so passionately embraced a club that has endured its own turbulent times would prompt an emotional farewell from many supporters.
Arteta has shown no signs of yielding to sentiment.
While acknowledging the "really, really tough" predicament Martinelli currently faces, Arsenal's head coach has taken a firm stance by excluding the winger from the club's matchday squads for the opening two fixtures of the new campaign. The 25-year-old has continued training alongside the first team, and while communication between manager and player is said to have been limited, the signal is unmistakable: Martinelli's future lies elsewhere.
Martinelli's Change of Transfer Stance at Arsenal
Until recently, that was a position the Brazil international was unwilling to accept. Amid reported interest from Turkish champions Galatasaray, it was widely noted that Martinelli had turned down those overtures, insisting he would only consider a move to one of Europe's elite clubs if his time in north London was truly over.
Following his absence from Arsenal's Premier League season opener against Coventry City, Martinelli appears to have reconsidered. The Athletic first reported that Saudi Pro League powerhouse Al Hilal have expressed their interest in the winger, who is said to be "open to the possibility." Arsenal are also reportedly prepared to sanction a sale for a fee in the region of $81.8 million (£60 million). Fabrizio Romano subsequently confirmed that "official club-to-club contact" has taken place.
Martinelli is far from the first Arsenal player to be shown the door by Arteta. The Basque manager's tenure was initially defined by his freezing out of Mesut Özil, a player of considerably greater stature than Martinelli. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Emi Martínez, Nicolas Pépé, Bernd Leno, Mattéo Guendouzi, Aaron Ramsdale and numerous others were all ushered out of the club at the discretion of one of the last truly authoritative managers in the Premier League.
These departures were often carried out with little regard for any financial consequences Arsenal might face. Despite the impressive list of names mentioned above, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's $47.2 million move to Liverpool in 2017 remains the club's highest-ever sale. Martinelli looks set to shatter that underwhelming record and could potentially open the door to further activity this summer.
Will Arsenal Replace Gabriel Martinelli This Summer?
Arsenal have effectively upgraded Leandro Trossard through the signing of Christos Tzolis, who has hit the ground running at the Emirates. Given the substantial interest in Vinícius Júnior before Martinelli's potential exit had been widely discussed, it stands to reason that any sale of the Brazilian would be accompanied by a new signing.
As Arteta and Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick have both emphasized, the club is only pursuing players capable of "changing the dial." Should the Gunners look to spend further in a summer that has already seen over $260 million invested across four first-team arrivals, any new recruit must be of sufficient quality to immediately challenge for or walk into the starting lineup of the Premier League champions.
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That significantly reduces the list of viable candidates. "I think for the margins to improve, there are very few players in the market that are available to do that and bring that to the club," Arteta remarked with characteristic understatement.
Two players who meet both the quality threshold and are theoretically attainable are Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Atlético Madrid's Julián Alvarez. The polarizing Argentine forward has found himself at the heart of a bitter dispute in Spain and could be available for $175.1 million. Remarkably, that would make Alvarez the more affordable option, with PSG reportedly demanding $197.9 million for Barcola.
Arsenal have both the motivation to find a Martinelli replacement and are expected to have the financial firepower to fund such a significant outlay following the profitable success of recent seasons. Whether they view these particular targets as worthy of such investment, however, remains an entirely different question.