Gabriel Martinelli's agent reveals Brazilian winger rejected Premier League rivals to seal £60m Arsenal exit for Al-Hilal

Martinelli departed Arsenal in early September, drawing the curtain on a productive seven-year stint in England. Arteta explicitly informed the 25-year-old that he no longer featured in his first-team plans for the current campaign, prompting a permanent exit.

The transfer represented a massive financial boost for the Gunners, who secured a guaranteed £60 million fee. Meanwhile, the Brazil international secured a lucrative new contract, easily eclipsing the £180,000-a-week wages he previously took home in north London.

Marcos Casseb, Martinelli's agent, felt the timing was perfect for his client to seek a fresh start following Arsenal's recent Premier League title triumph. Speaking to Itatiaia Esporte, Casseb detailed the mutual agreement between the player and the club's management.

"Arsenal underwent a massive restructuring and, last year, they won the Premier League," Casseb stated. "We felt it was time for him to move on, and the club had also seen it that way. It was a very good departure for him and for Arsenal."

The agent also highlighted the significant financial legacy his client left behind at the Emirates. "Besides everything else, he also became Arsenal’s biggest-ever sale and he still helped Arsenal make a lot of money from his departure," he added.

Despite Arteta's stance, Martinelli was not short of high-profile suitors across Europe. Casseb confirmed that unnamed Premier League sides, along with top-flight teams in Italy and Germany, attempted to secure the winger's signature before he opted for Asia.

Explaining the decision to choose Al-Hilal over remaining in Europe, Casseb noted: "Did he get offers? He did yeah. We had offers from Italian clubs, we had offers from German clubs and we had offers from other Premier League clubs but it was a moment when I think he needed and he also wanted to clear his head a bit, to change scenery."

Casseb praised the Saudi club's vision, pointing to a broader shift in Middle Eastern recruitment strategy targeting younger talent. "He went to the biggest club in Asia to be part of a very ambitious project," he said. "That’s a trend in Arab football right now, they’re changing the way they want to sign players. They’ve been trying to do that - lower the average age of the league - and their project has attracted a lot of attention."

Martinelli will now look to establish himself as a central figure in Al-Hilal's ambitious sporting project. Joining a squad boasting multiple international stars who featured at the World Cup and are under the age of 27, the Brazilian must quickly adapt to his new surroundings. His immediate challenge will be justifying his hefty £60m price tag while helping his new employers maintain their domestic dominance in a rapidly evolving league.