Gabriel Martinelli brings curtain down on Arsenal career as Al Hilal move confirmed

Gabriel Martinelli has brought the curtain down on his seven-year Arsenal spell as his long awaited move to Al Hilal has now been confirmed.

The Brazil international joins the Saudi Pro League side having spent practically the entirety of his senior career with the Gunners, ending a lengthy and successful period spent in North London.

Fans are heartbroken to see Martinelli bid farewell to the Emirates Stadium as many felt he would be one of those players who represents Arsenal for their whole career, but that dream has now been ended by a harsh reality.

Gabriel Martinelli leaves Arsenal to join Al Hilal

Martinelli exits Arsenal as their record sale, joining Al Hilal for close to a reported fee of €70million (£60m), seeing him surpass the £35m received for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's transfer to Liverpool in 2017.

Multiple reports revealed on 30 August that the 21-time Saudi champions had reached an agreement to sign the Brazilian, but it took some time to officially announce his signing. Simone Inzaghi's side were in no rush to confirm the deal due to the Saudi transfer window running until 6 September.

That wait is over now though as Martinelli's move has been confirmed to officially end his time with the Gunners, breaking a bond that has stood for over seven years.

He joined Arsenal as an unheard of 18-year-old in 2019, signing from Brazilian fourth division side Ituano, and he was viewed by many as a gamble transfer, but he proved his worth quickly. The youngster scored 10 goals in 26 appearances throughout his debut season to show that he was a serious wonderkid.

Some injuries kept him out of action the following year, but he still scored twice before playing a bigger role from the 2021/22 campaign onwards. Martinelli was a key figure in the North Londoners' ultimately unsuccessful title charge in the 2022/23 season as he scored 15 goals to equal the record of the most amount of goals scored by a Brazilian in a single Premier League season, sharing the achievement with Roberto Firmino.

However, his form hit a slump in the following years and a failure to reach the same level he had previosuly been at gradually led to his departure. He didn't leave without making an impact though as he won the Premier League in his final season, having scored one of the most important goals, a late equaliser against Manchester City in September 2025.

Martinelli leaves Arsenal having scored 62 goals and provided 36 assists in 278 appearances during his seven years with the club. Fans are absolutely heartbroken to see him depart, but most understand it's the right decision after multiple years of underperforming.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow