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Gabriel Martinelli is set to continue his footballing journey in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal after completing a permanent move from Arsenal—the club's most lucrative sale in their history.
Al Hilal, who have claimed the Saudi title six times in the past decade, shelled out $81.2 million (£60 million) for Martinelli, nearly twice the fee Arsenal received when they sold Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in 2017.
The Brazilian had previously turned down a move to Galatasaray but appeared to have little say in the matter after Mikel Arteta made it clear that Arsenal could no longer guarantee him a meaningful role. Despite featuring regularly in preseason following the World Cup, Martinelli failed to earn even a bench spot for the Community Shield or the club's opening two Premier League fixtures.
Arsenal entered the summer with ambitions to strengthen the squad that had wrapped up the 2025–26 campaign as Premier League champions and Champions League finalists. The left wing, where Martinelli had lost his place to Leandro Trossard, was pinpointed as an area requiring reinforcement.
Christos Tzolis was brought in as a replacement for Trossard, who departed to Beşiktaş in July. However, Arsenal's attempts to land several high-profile wingers fell flat—with Morgan Rogers, Vinícius Júnior, and Bradley Barcola all declining to join. The club also appeared to pass on a serious pursuit of Malick Fofana.
Arsenal End Up With Left-Wing Gap
Despite having plenty to prove after making the step up from Belgian club football and enduring a difficult previous stint in England, Tzolis has shown encouraging signs in the early part of the campaign.
However, offloading Martinelli without successfully landing a top-tier left winger has left Arsenal with a noticeable gap, particularly given the club's aspirations to defend their Premier League crown and mount serious challenges in the Champions League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup.
Tzolis will require backup. Eberechi Eze offers an option from the left flank. Arsenal also secured the signing of Manchester United academy product James Scanlon over the weekend, with the 19-year-old drawn by the club's upward trajectory—and standing to benefit most directly from Martinelli's departure going unreplaced.
Martinelli is a solid, if not elite, footballer with 278 appearances for Arsenal. Effectively pushing him out the door under these circumstances, with no genuine replacement secured, is a questionable decision. Arsenal have pocketed a healthy fee, but the impact on squad depth remains a real concern.
Martinelli Not Guaranteed to Start for Al Hilal
Welcome to Al-Hilal, Martinelli 🤩🔝 pic.twitter.com/4sX5N6jaJb
The move to Al Hilal is far from a straightforward on-field upgrade for Martinelli. His earnings will skyrocket thanks to a generous tax-free salary, but he won't have an easy path to regular starts given the stiff competition for his preferred position.
Crysencio Summerville arrived at Al Hilal from West Ham United in July and has featured in all four Pro League games so far in 2026–27. The Dutch winger scored once and set up two more in the club's third match, a 5–1 victory over Al Khaleej, and also found the net in Tuesday's 3–0 triumph over Al Ahli. Displacing him will be no easy task.
Martinelli also faces a challenge on the left from Al Hilal icon Salem Al Dawsari. The 35-year-old, who boasts 500 appearances and 142 goals since making his debut for the club in 2011, is in the latter stages of his recovery from a summer knee tendon procedure.
Much like last summer's move to Al Hilal did little to advance Darwin Núñez's career—the Uruguayan has since joined newly promoted Al Diriyah on loan—it's hard to see how Martinelli stands to gain from this transfer beyond the financial rewards.