Arsenal have now sold two Brazilian forwards in the same week. That is not a transfer window, that is a clearout.
Gabriel Martinelli is off to Al-Hilal for £60m, confirmed and done, the latest name through the exit door at the Emirates after Gabriel Jesus made his way to Barcelona earlier this week. Whether Arsenal know exactly what they are building right now is a fair question to ask.
A record fee does not tell the whole story
Let us be clear: £60m for a 25-year-old who has fallen down the pecking order is good business on paper. It beats the previous record Arsenal received for a sale, the £40m they got for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in 2017. The deal also includes a sell-on clause, so there is a future fee potentially sitting in the background. Financially, Arsenal have done their sums correctly.
But Martinelli arrived from Ituano in 2019, came through the ranks at the club, and was part of the squad that won the Premier League title last season. He is not some peripheral figure they shifted on. He is somebody the fanbase grew to love. Sending him to Saudi Arabia at 25 feels like a story that did not need to end this way.
He will reportedly earn around £17m a season on a four-year contract at Al-Hilal. If that money was on the table, you can understand why he took it. We are not going to pretend otherwise. But from an Arsenal perspective, losing him alongside Jesus in the space of days, and then choosing not to bring anyone in, raises real questions about the direction of the squad. Check the [men's transfer window summer 2026 deal tracker](/uprise/football/mens-transfer-window-summer-2026-all-deals-from-europes-top) and the full picture of how this window has unfolded becomes clear.
What Arsenal actually have now
The club also sold Fábio Vieira to Hamburg on deadline day, and missed out on around £7m when the Folarin Balogun move to Everton collapsed. They did pick up approximately £3m from Brook Norton-Cuffy's move from Genoa to Hull via a sell-on clause, but that is small change relative to what has walked out the door. Arsenal are the [Champions League draw confirmed](/uprise/football/champions-league-draw-arsenal-face-real-madrid-man-city-get) participants facing Real Madrid, and they have spent this week selling attackers rather than reinforcing. That is the part that will take some explaining.
There is an argument, and we have heard it, that Martinelli's reduced role made the sale sensible. If the player himself was not going to be a starter, why hold onto him? It is a legitimate point. But the failure to replace him, or Jesus, leaves the forward line looking thinner heading into what should be a defining season.
Our take
Arsenal got their record sale. Good. They got a sell-on clause. Fine. But two Brazilian forwards out the door in one week, no replacements in, and a Champions League campaign on the horizon? That is a gamble dressed up as smart business. If the squad holds up, Arteta gets the credit. If it does not, this window will be the moment everyone points to. We know which one feels more likely right now.