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Gabriel Martinelli departed the Premier League to "clear his head" and seek a "change of scenery," according to his agent, following his sale from Arsenal to Al Hilal during the summer transfer window.
There were "offers" for him to remain in England, his agent Marcos Casseb told Brazilian outlet Itatiaia, though he declined to identify the clubs in question. The same applied to Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A, he added. The interview appears to be an effort to reshape the narrative around the Brazilian winger, who had been gradually pushed to the margins at Arsenal.
"We felt his chapter at Arsenal had run its course," Casseb said. "It was seven years — he arrived at 18, and Arsenal underwent a massive transformation.
"Last year they were Premier League champions. I believe he completed his cycle. He came as a youngster. He was the only player there before [Mikel] Arteta, aside from [Bukayo] Saka."
Arteta's relentless ambition ultimately made Martinelli a casualty of progress.
The Gunners claimed the Premier League title last season but fell short in the Champions League. Arteta is determined to defend the domestic crown — something Arsenal haven't achieved since 1935 — and lead his side to European glory, a feat the club has never accomplished. Martinelli, who was dropped last season, was earmarked as a position to strengthen.
While Christos Tzolis came in to replace Leandro Trossard, Arsenal made unsuccessful attempts to sign Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola, and Vinícius Júnior. Offloading Martinelli was still considered worthwhile even without a marquee winger arriving as a replacement.
Martinelli Showed Reluctance to Leave Arsenal
Reports throughout the summer indicated that Martinelli had turned down Galatasaray, with the reasoning being that he envisioned his career progressing within a more prominent European league. As Fabrizio Romano noted, he "never considered a move to Türkiye at this stage of his career a realistic option."
In mid-August, credible sources suggested Martinelli was "not pushing to leave" Arsenal, though if a departure became necessary, he preferred a club in England, Spain, France, Germany, or Italy. Shortly after, he failed to make the matchday squad for Arsenal's opening three fixtures of the season. The club stood to earn significant funds from his sale, and Arteta was sending an unmistakable signal.
Martinelli ultimately ended up in Saudi Arabia, where enormous tax-free wages attract players away from Europe but cannot compensate for the league's diminished global profile and noticeably lower competitive standard. After seven rounds of matches, one in three clubs in the 18-team division has yet to record a win this season. If Martinelli considered himself too good for Türkiye's Süper Lig, the Saudi Pro League was objectively no superior alternative from a purely footballing standpoint.
Casseb now frames the move quite differently. "We felt it was the right time for him to move on, and the club shared that view. It was a very positive outcome for both him and Arsenal."
It certainly proved beneficial for Arsenal. The Gunners nearly doubled their club-record sale by securing £60 million ($79.3 million) from Martinelli's transfer, surpassing the embarrassingly dated benchmark set nine years prior when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to Liverpool.
"Did he receive offers? Absolutely," Casseb stated. "We had interest from Italian clubs, German clubs, and other Premier League sides, but it was a moment when I believe he needed — and wanted — to clear his head and experience something new.
"He joined the biggest club in Asia to be part of a highly ambitious project. You can see that in the caliber of players they've recruited — three who featured at the World Cup with their respective national teams, and three who are under 27 years old.
"That reflects a broader shift in Arab football right now — they're rethinking how they approach player recruitment. They've been working to bring down the average age of the league, and their project has generated considerable interest. I think the change of environment was genuinely important for him."
Martinelli's Al Hilal Impact Needs to Improve
Since his arrival at Al Hilal, Martinelli has started three of four matches. Early concerns arose over potential minutes-sharing with fellow new signing Crysencio Summerville, with both vying for the left-wing berth. Martinelli has since been deployed on the right instead.
He netted a hat-trick in just 54 minutes of action when Al Hilal demolished 17th-place Al Taawoun 6–0 on September 12. However, Martinelli has been considerably less impactful in his other outings.
His AFC Champions League Elite debut in a victory over Qatar's Al Gharafa last week yielded no goals, no assists, no chances created, and just a single shot on target. A similar lack of influence was evident when Al Hilal suffered a shock home loss to Neom five days earlier.
Martinelli made only one start for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup and has been left out of the squad for the September-October international window. There is an element of Carlo Ancelotti using these fixtures to experiment, but it is equally telling that it was not the core players who were left out to create that opportunity — Vinícius Jr, Raphinha, Gabriel, Marquinhos, and Bruno Guimarães were all named as usual.
Anything short of sparkling form in the Saudi Pro League may simply not be sufficient.