Arsenal squad 'unhappy' with Mikel Arteta as Gabriel Martinelli nears £40m Al-Hilal transfer

Martinelli is edging closer to a permanent Arsenal departure after manager Arteta explicitly instructed the Brazilian to find a new club. The talented winger is set to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hilal, bringing a sudden end to his hugely successful spell in north London.

Despite being Arsenal's longest-serving player, the attacker has been entirely frozen out of recent matchday squads by the coaching staff. His impending exit marks a significant and ruthless shift for the Gunners, as Arteta takes aggressive steps to strengthen the squad that has just won the Premier League title.

Arteta's harsh handling of the situation has seemingly not gone down well in the Emirates dressing room. According to ESPN, the manager's cut-throat approach has caused "some discomfort" among the Arsenal squad, with several team-mates feeling highly sympathetic towards the departing winger.

The underlying tension escalated rapidly when Martinelli was excluded from the Community Shield victory over Manchester City, meaning he did not receive a winners' medal. The same report claims that this specific decision left the forward "greatly disappointed", while other senior squad members were also deeply unhappy with his outright omission.

The writing appeared to be firmly on the wall earlier this summer when Arsenal completed a substantial £34 million deal for promising attacker Christos Tzolis. Furthermore, an audacious, albeit unsuccessful, pursuit of Real Madrid icon Vinicius Junior heavily suggested that Arteta was actively planning to revamp his left flank.

Having made his initial first-team debut back in 2019, Martinelli has racked up nearly 300 appearances across all competitions for the club. Although his individual influence faded slightly last season, he still played a vital role in Arsenal's historic run to the Champions League final and their first top-flight crown since 2004.

Following his glaring omission from the recent Premier League opening fixture against Coventry City, Martinelli's departure now seems an absolute inevitability. While an approach from Turkish giants Galatasaray failed to excite him, Globo Esporte reports that he has officially given the green light to a lucrative Saudi Arabia switch despite some initial reluctance.

The final transfer fee currently remains a point of negotiation between the respective clubs. Arsenal reportedly want a package of around £60m for their long-serving forward, but ESPN suggests the final agreed figure could be no more than £40m.