**Gabriel Martinelli is all set to sign for Al-Hilal in what will be a record Arsenal sale. But the details that stands out most in the latest reporting is far more uncomfortable for the Gooners.**
Trivela took a detailed look at the increasingly awkward situation surrounding the Brazilian at the Emirates, and their central claim is blunt. Martinelli was never directly informed that Arsenal wanted to sell him. He effectively worked it out from what was happening in the transfer market.
For a player who has been at the club since 2019, that is hardly ideal.
### The football case for selling Martinelli is real
While there are perfectly reasonable sporting grounds for considering a sale. His Premier League output has fallen considerably from his 2022/23 peak of 15 goals and five assists. That became six goals and four assists in 2023/24, then eight goals and four assists the following season. Last campaign was much harder, just one goal and three assists across 26 league appearances, only ten of which were starts.
Part of that is contextual. Martinelli is at his best with space ahead of him, where his pace, pressing and ability to attack a defensive line made him so dangerous during Arsenal’s earlier development. Arteta’s side now regularly face opponents defending very deep, which demands combination play and creating advantages in tight areas instead. Bukayo Saka adapted to that shift well. Martinelli has found it considerably harder.
Arsenal clearly recognise the issue on that flank. They pursued Vinicius Junior, have since added Christos Tzolis, and Leandro Trossard has departed. The counter-argument is that selling Martinelli removes a player who genuinely provides speed and depth without necessarily replacing him with the elite left winger Arsenal were originally chasing.
### The decision facing Martinelli now
Al Hilal can offer considerably more financially than the alternatives, and the player is now receptive to their project. But at 25, he is entering what should be the peak years of his career.
There is an added complication too. Brazil are beginning a new cycle after the World Cup, with competition in attack including Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Rodrygo and Estêvão among others. A move to Saudi Arabia would not automatically end his international prospects, but it would change the sporting environment in which he is trying to maintain them. Those two unnamed European clubs could therefore matter a great deal.
Arsenal have their own calculation to make. Selling now may make financial and sporting sense after the drop in production. But if Tzolis needs time to settle and another elite winger does not arrive, Arteta loses one of the few players in his squad who naturally offers pace and direct running. The decision to sell can be defended comfortably. The timing, and the way the club have gone about communicating it, leave rather more room for debate.
