Gabriel Martinelli agent reveals why Arsenal agreed to record £61m departure

Gabriel Martinelli's agent has revealed Arsenal and the Brazilian both felt the time was right to end their seven-year relationship following last season's Premier League triumph.

Martinelli joined Al-Hilal for €70million (£60.9m) during the summer, making the 25-year-old the biggest sale in Arsenal's history.

After arriving from Ituano as an 18-year-old in 2019, Martinelli left having made 278 appearances, scoring 62 goals and providing 34 assists.

Speaking to Brazilian outlet Itatiaia, agent Marcos Casseb explained that Martinelli's camp believed his journey at Arsenal had naturally reached its conclusion.

“We think his cycle at Arsenal had ended,” Casseb said. “It was seven years, he arrived there at 18, and Arsenal went through a huge rebuild. Last year they were Premier League champions.”

Martinelli had been one of the few players remaining from before Mikel Arteta's arrival, alongside academy graduate Bukayo Saka.

Crucially, Casseb says Arsenal reached the same conclusion about his future.

“We thought it was time for him to move, and the club also saw it that way,” he explained. “It was a very good departure for him and for Arsenal.”

Winning the Premier League therefore provided a natural ending to Martinelli's Arsenal career, while Al-Hilal's €70m offer allowed the Gunners to secure a club-record sale.

Martinelli signed a four-year contract with Al-Hilal running until 2030 and has already scored three times in his first four appearances, with all three goals coming against Al-Taawoun.

However, Casseb has also revealed where the Brazilian could eventually finish his career.

Martinelli spent part of his childhood development at Corinthians before joining Ituano, and his agent says returning to the Brazilian club remains a long-term ambition.

“He does have the dream of returning, playing for Corinthians, the club he came from, his passion,” Casseb said.

There is no suggestion of an imminent move. Martinelli's Saudi Arabian chapter has only just started, but his Arsenal departure now appears to have been a mutual decision made at the end of a title-winning era.

Martinelli's immediate focus is Al-Hilal, where he is contracted until 2030 and has already opened his goalscoring account.

A future move to Corinthians remains a long-term ambition rather than an immediate plan, with the Brazilian still only 25 and beginning a new stage of his career in Saudi Arabia.