Arsenal sell Gabriel Martinelli in a club-record £60m sale to Saudi side Al-Hilal

Gabriel Martinelli has officially left Arsenal, with the Premier League champions confirming his £60million departure to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

The transfer fee – which also includes a sell-on clause – is a club-record sale for Arsenal, beating the £35m departure of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool in 2017.

Last season the Brazilian made 30 appearances in the Premier League as the Gunners ended their 22-year wait to be crowned champions.

However, of that tally only 11 were as a starter as Mikel Arteta preferred the likes of Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard on the left wing.

Trossard was also sold this summer, but Christos Tzolis was brought in – while Noni Madueke can also operate and Bukayo Saka can also operate on that flank.

And Arteta’s stance on the 25-year-old’s Arsenal future was clear at the start of this season when he was left out of Arsenal’s squad for their Community Shield win against Manchester City and subsequent Premier League victories over Coventry and Aston Villa.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright said the treatment of Martinelli left him feeling ‘uncomfortable’ and claimed the Brazil international deserved ‘more respect’.

‘The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable,’ he told Sky Sports after Martinelli was omitted from Arsenal’s squad to face Coventry.

‘I know they might want him out, and a lot of people might say, ‘yeah, it’s time for him to move him on’. But there’s ways of doing that and it should suit him as well, how he wants to leave.’

While the Premier League transfer window closed on Tuesday, the deadline for the Saudi Pro League is on Sunday.

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