Martinelli's Staggering Al Hilal Offer Revealed: How It Dwarfs His Current Arsenal Wages

As if Mikel Arteta's cold treatment wasn't motivation enough, Gabriel Martinelli has reportedly been presented with an annual salary exceeding $16.4 million (£12 million) to depart Arsenal and sign with Al Hilal.

Martinelli has been nudged toward the exit at the Emirates through a series of unmistakable signals from Arteta, who has left the Brazilian out of every competitive matchday squad this season despite his ongoing participation in first-team training. The message has been unmistakable, yet Martinelli reportedly turned down interest from Galatasaray before his uncertain standing at the club was made even more apparent in recent days.

Saudi Pro League powerhouse Al Hilal have since entered the picture, and it seems Martinelli may now be willing to consider a departure. The lucrative financial offer on the table may well be behind his apparent change of stance. The Times reports that a substantial package worth upwards of $16.4 million has given Martinelli serious pause for thought.

While it falls short of the astronomical figures earned by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, these numbers could provide Martinelli with a level of generational wealth that even Arsenal's highest earners cannot realistically match, thanks to Saudi Arabia's favorable tax conditions.

How Arsenal's Top Earners Compare to Martinelli's Proposed Deal

At first glance, Martinelli's proposed Saudi wage would place him on par with club captain Martin Ødegaard and key midfielder Declan Rice. It represents a pay increase, but not a transformative one on paper. However, one of the standout advantages of relocating to the Middle East is the complete absence of income tax.

This means Martinelli could theoretically pocket the full $16.4 million of his annual earnings. Arsenal players, by comparison, surrender roughly 47% of their wages to HMRC. Factoring this in, Martinelli would effectively earn nearly double what Ødegaard and Rice take home, surpassing every other player at the club in the process.

Bukayo Saka became Arsenal's best-paid player after signing a new contract earlier this year. Yet even Saka is not believed to come anywhere near the earning potential that Martinelli could command in the Kingdom.

Martinelli in Line for Huge Pay Rise

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Martinelli put pen to paper on his current Arsenal deal in February 2023, in the middle of the most productive season of his professional career to date. By the close of that campaign, the dynamic forward had accumulated 15 Premier League goals—a tally he would not surpass across the following three seasons combined.

The Brazilian was just 21 years old when he signed his four-year contract and is believed to have doubled his earnings to approximately $6.8 million per year after tax, according to The Times. A jump to $16.4 million would represent an entirely different financial tier.

In Martinelli's ideal scenario of running down his Arsenal deal, he would have accumulated roughly $13.6 million net before its expiry in 2028. With a reported four-year deal on offer at Al Hilal, the winger could pocket as much as $65.6 million before reaching his 30th birthday.