An emotional seven-year journey has reached its conclusion following the official completion of Gabriel Martinelli’s €70 million (£60 million) transfer from Arsenal to Saudi Pro League heavyweights Al-Hilal.
This transfer establishes the 25-year-old Brazilian winger, who played a key role in helping Mikel Arteta’s squad capture the Premier League title last term, as the most lucrative departure in Arsenal’s history, surpassing the previous £35 million benchmark set by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s departure in 2017.
Having delivered standout displays for the Gunners during their Champions League group stage campaign last year, the South American attacker attracted significant attention during the summer window, especially as the North London club aimed to overhaul and upgrade their options on the left flank, with Turkish side Galatasaray also monitoring his situation.
To reinforce their squad, Arsenal finalized the acquisition of gifted Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and targeted other high-profile stars like Morgan Rogers and Vinícius Júnior, while parting ways with popular attacker Leandro Trossard, who joined Beşiktaş, and Gabriel Jesus, who moved to Barcelona.
The Brazilian represents the third acquisition from the English top flight secured by Al-Hilal in the current window, linking up with fellow new arrivals Ollie Watkins and Crysencio Summerville at the Kingdom Arena.
Now poised to embark on this fresh adventure, the beloved former Arsenal star has been assigned the prestigious number seven jersey and is scheduled to participate in this evening’s practice ahead of Al-Hilal’s upcoming Saudi Pro League clash with Al-Shabab on Friday.
