Marcos Casseb has confirmed that Gabriel Martinelli turned down further Premier League interest before agreeing his move to Saudi Arabia, a decision he frames as the natural end of a seven-year cycle in north London.

“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 told Goal.

The 25-year-old joined Al-Hilal on a four-year contract after Arsenal accepted a £60m fee on Thursday, 3 September 2026, plus a sell-on clause. It is the largest sale in Arsenal’s history.

Arsenal’s restructuring cited as trigger

Casseb was blunt about the reasoning on both sides of the deal.

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“Arsenal underwent a massive restructuring and, last year, they won the Premier League. 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 said.

Martinelli had been left out of Mikel Arteta’s opening two matchday squads of the new campaign, and Al Jazeera reported that Arteta had made it clear the Brazilian would struggle for game time. His final season in London brought only 11 league starts in 30 appearances, his fewest league starts since 2020-21.

An offer of around £38.9m from Galatasaray was also on the table before Al-Hilal moved decisively. Casseb argued the wider financial picture worked for everyone.

“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 said.

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Ian Wright uncomfortable with Arsenal’s handling

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has been openly critical of how Martinelli was managed in the final weeks. Speaking before the transfer went through, Wright said the treatment made him “uncomfortable” and argued the forward deserved more respect for what he had delivered at the Emirates.

Martinelli’s Arsenal record stood at 191 Premier League appearances, 41 goals and 24 assists when the deal was completed, according to Sky Sports. Bukayo Saka is now the last player still standing from Arteta’s original squad.

Wages were another lever. Casseb did not disclose the new terms, but Goal reported Martinelli’s Al-Hilal package easily eclipses the £180,000-a-week he was earning in north London.

‘The biggest club in Asia’ and Saudi’s shifting model

Martinelli’s own reaction on arrival was short. “Proud to be blue, proud to be Al-Hilal,” the Brazilian said on unveiling.

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Casseb positioned the choice as strategic rather than a cash-out.

“He went to the biggest club in Asia to be part of a very ambitious project. That’s a trend in Arab football right now, they’re changing the way they want to sign players,” the agent said.

The four-year deal keeps Martinelli at Al-Hilal through to age 29, comfortably inside his peak years, as the Saudi Pro League continues to target attackers still in the prime of their careers rather than the veteran signings that defined its opening wave of recruitment.

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