Left-winger Gabriel Martinelli has left Arsenal for Al Hilal for a club-record £60 million fee.
The deal exceeds the £40m deal Arsenal made with Liverpool in 2017 for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Due to Martinelli having joined the club as an 18-year-old, his sale represents pure profit for the club.
Short at left-wing
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta now only has Christos Tzolis, who joined from Club Brugge in the summer window, as a recognised left-wing option.
Bukayo Saka will operate primarily on the right-hand side, with Eberechi Eze and Martin Ødegaard likely to feature as central-attacking midfielders.
Arsenal also lost Leandro Trossard to Besiktas for £17m, leaving the depth chart for Arteta’s attacking options light as well.
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Unfair treatment
Arsenal legend Ian Wright told Sky Sports he was “uncomfortable” by the way in which Martinelli’s transfer was handled, feeling the Brazilian “deserved more respect” in the latter stages of his Arsenal career.
Martinelli made 191 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, with a record comprising 41 goals and 24 assists.
Although the Brazil international was used as a squad rotation player in Arsenal’s Premier League–winning season last campaign, his impact off the bench was valuable for Arteta late in games.
Arsenal sales
With the Martinelli sale now concluded, Arsenal’s player sales for the summer window exceed £120m.
Additionally, the Gunners sold both midfielder Fábio Vieira and defender Jakub Kiwior to Porto for £7.7m and £19m, respectively.
Other notable outgoings include Gabriel Jesus at a cut-price £8.6m to Barcelona, back-up holding midfielder Christian Nørgaard to Everton for £7m and a loan deal for Ethan Nwaneri, who left for Borussia Dortmund.
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