Arsenal's dressing room are reportedly backing Gabriel Martinelli after Mikel Arteta froze him out of the squad ahead of an impending move to Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian was left out of the squad for the opening day win over Coventry, and the Community Shield, as the club look to sell him and raise transfer funds.
Martinelli has spent seven years at the club but lost his place last season to Leandro Trossard, a position that this season has been taken over by Christoph Tzolis. Arsenal are keen to move Martinelli on, despite the winger turning down a move to Galatasaray in Turkey.
Record sale on the horizon
Martinelli has under a year left on his contract and Arsenal have determined now is the moment to cash in. After turning down a switch to Turkey, Martinelli is now set to join Al-Hilal for a fee in the region of £50million, which would represent a record sale for Arsenal.
That financial boost will assist the club in signing the world-class attacker they have been pursuing all summer, with Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez remaining a possibility. However, the manner in which they have ushered Martinelli towards the exit has carried consequences.
Team-mates' sympathy and Ian Wright's response
ESPN Brazil claim that Martinelli is unhappy with how he's been discarded in recent weeks. The 25-year-old reportedly didn't receive a medal for the side's Community Shield success, and there has been considerable sympathy from his team-mates.
Offloading Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira before September 1 has been viewed as a crucial element of Arsenal's summer transfer activity. Yet the manner in which Arteta has handled the situation risks sparking a significant backlash.
Speaking to Sky Sports following the 3-0 victory over Coventry on Friday evening, club legend Ian Wright said: "With respect to Martinelli and the way he's being treated at the moment, it really makes me uncomfortable."
"He always gives 100 per cent, we're not saying he's the greatest, but he's come up with some big moments for Arsenal in big games, and the way he's being treated at the end here – I know they might want him out and there's a lot of guys saying it's time for him to move on, but there's ways of doing that should suit him as well."
Wright added: "For him to be nowhere near it, just makes me feel a bit sad for him. I think he's done enough in this squad to be treated with a bit more respect than he's been treated at the moment."
Exit door and next steps
Martinelli could be on the verge of becoming Arsenal's record sale, surpassing the £35m Liverpool paid for midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in 2017. He would follow Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Christian Norgaard through the exit door this summer.
