Martinelli snubs Arteta in emotional Arsenal farewell after £60m Al-Hilal move

Gabriel Martinelli has fuelled speculation over his relationship with Mikel Arteta after failing to mention the Arsenal manager by name in an emotional farewell following his £60million move to Al-Hilal.

The Brazilian completed his switch to the Saudi Pro League club on Thursday, ending a seven-year spell at Arsenal.

In a lengthy Instagram statement, Martinelli thanked teammates, supporters and virtually every section of Arsenal’s staff, including chefs, doctors, security personnel, cleaners, physiotherapists and the media team. However, Arteta was not individually acknowledged.

The omission became more noticeable because, according to The Sun, none of the more than 20 photographs accompanying Martinelli’s farewell featured Arteta. Supporters subsequently questioned whether the pair’s relationship had deteriorated.

There is, however, no confirmed explanation from Martinelli that he deliberately excluded Arteta because of a personal rift. His reference to Arsenal’s “staff” could technically encompass the manager, making claims of a broken relationship speculative.

Yet the circumstances surrounding his departure have added weight to those questions. Arteta left Martinelli out of recent matchday squads, including the Community Shield and Premier League games against Coventry City and Aston Villa.

Fans’ reaction per The Sun:

After reading the lengthy statement, many of the Emirates faithful realised the Brazilian hadn’t thanked Gunners boss Mikel Arteta or included him in any of his the pictures in his carousel post.

One wrote on X with a picture of the statement: “Martinelli’s farewell post on IG.

“No mention of Arteta and he wasn’t in any of the pictures included.”

Another said: “Martinelli’s goodbye post and not a single pic with Arteta😭😭.”

And another said: “Martinelli completely ignoring Arteta in his all his farewell posts.”

One remarked: “Nelli didn’t address Arteta. Maybe he counts as “staff members” 😭😂.”

Another chimed in: “Gabriel Martinelli‘s farewell post has over 20 pictures with team mates, coaching staffs and fans.

“Non of which featured MIKEL ARTETA ❌. Seems the relationship was BROKEN 💔.”

The Mirror also reported that Arsenal legend Ian Wright had criticised Martinelli’s treatment before his departure, saying the situation made him uncomfortable and arguing that the winger deserved greater respect.

Martinelli nevertheless reserved warm words for Arsenal, saying he was leaving with tears in his eyes after seven years at the club.

His conspicuous silence on Arteta, though, has ensured that questions over how their working relationship ended will linger beyond his departure.