Martinelli from Arsenal to Al Hilal for 70 million euros

The Brazilian will earn much more than in London, where he earned £180.000 a week.

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Photo: Al Hilal
Photo: Al Hilal
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Arsenal striker Gabriel Martinelli has joined Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal in a transfer worth £60 million, which is close to €70 million.

The Brazilian thus ended a seven-year spell in north London.

Martinelli (25) has signed a four-year contract with Al-Hilal, who are currently tied for first place in the Saudi league table with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nasr.

He joined Arsenal in 2019 from Brazilian side Ituano and has 12 months left on his contract at the Emirates Stadium, but manager Mikel Arteta has told him he is not part of his plans for this season.

"I'm proud to be blue, I'm proud to be Al-Hilal," Martinelli said in a video posted by the club on social media to introduce his signing.

He will play alongside Ollie Watkins at Al-Hilal, after the English striker left Aston Villa this summer in a transfer worth £51 million.

Dutchman Somerville also moved to the Saudi club from West Ham this summer, following the London club's relegation from the Premier League.

Al-Hilal are believed to have offered Martinelli a salary significantly higher than his Arsenal contract, worth £180.000-a-week.

Last season, Martinelli made 53 appearances in all competitions and scored 11 goals, as Arsenal won the English Premier League title for the first time since 2004.

However, he was not included in Arsenal's squad for the first two matches of the season, and Arteta made it clear that Martinelli would have trouble getting playing time if he remained at the club.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright also criticised the club's decision to leave Martinelli out of the squad for the opening match against Coventry.

"The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment really makes me uncomfortable," he told Sky Sports.

"I know they might want him to go and many will say, 'Yes, it's time to let him go.' But there are ways to do it and you should also take into account him, or how he wants to go."

Despite all this, Martinelli said goodbye to Arsenal in a nice way.

"Once a gunsmith, always a gunsmith," he wrote.

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