Alan Smith questions Arsenal over two transfer decisions | Football

Alan Smith believes a section of Arsenal’s fanbase may be left ‘disappointed’ if Gabriel Martinelli is allowed to follow Leandro Trossard out the exit door this summer.

Arsenal have been active in the summer transfer market on the back of their Premier League title success last season, bringing in Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa, Christos Tzolis and free agent Illan Meslier since the window opened for business.

The English champions also activated their £35million option to sign Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis following the defender’s initial loan move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Jakub Kiwior, Christian Norgaard and Trossard, meanwhile, have all brought an end to their spells in north London to join Porto, Everton and Besiktas respectively.

And with just a week remaining until the transfer deadline, it appears Martinelli could be the fourth first-team player to leave, with Al-Hilal closing in on a deal for the Brazilian winger.

Martinelli is deemed surplus to requirements at the Emirates and Arsenal’s talks with the Saudi Pro League outfit over a deal worth in the region of £51m are believed to be at an advanced stage.

Asked if such a figure would represent a good deal for his former club, ex-Arsenal striker Smith told Sky Sports: ‘They seem to still be looking for a left-sided player even though Tzolis has come in, but Trossard has left.

‘£50m? It’s nothing these days, is it? You can get an average player… but Martinelli isn’t an average player.

‘Martinelli has been very good for Arsenal over the years. He’s maybe lost his way a little bit.

‘He’s only 25 so if he wants to leave which he probably does, if he thinks he’s not going to get the game-time… to go to Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career, he might feel he can do a couple of years and come back, I don’t know.’

Given the commitment Martinelli has shown over the years, Smith feels the attacker’s proposed departure could receive a mixed reaction amongst Arsenal fans.

‘For Al-Hilal, he’ll be a good signing,’ Smith – who won two league titles with the Gunners – added.

‘They say he’s a good lad, he always gives 100 per cent, good boy in the dressing room and everything so I don’t think there’s any question there character-wise.

‘Arsenal fans are disappointed to see Trossard go and in a way I think Martinelli would be the same because he’s given a lot to the cause over the years.’

Martinelli has racked up 62 goals and 36 assists in 278 matches for Arsenal since joining the club as an 18-year-old from Brazilian outfit Ituano back in 2019.

In that time, the Brazil international has won the Premier League and the Community Shield, while also picking up runners-up medals in both the Carabao Cup and the Champions League.

Martinelli’s current contract with Arsenal is due to expire in June 2027.

Martinelli has effectively been frozen out of Arsenal’s first-team and Mikel Arteta’s treatment of the forward has reportedly caused ‘some discomfort’ amongst the rest of the dressing room – a feeling club legend Ian Wright clearly shares.

‘In respects to Martinelli and the way Martinelli has been treated at the moment it really makes me feel uncomfortable,’ Wright told Sky Sports after Martinelli was left out of Arsenal’s opening-day win over Coventry.

‘Because he always gives 100 per cent, I’m not saying he’s the greatest, he’s really come up with some big moments for Arsenal, some big games, he’s scored some very important goals…

‘The way he’s been treated at the end here, I know they might want him out, and there’s a lot of people saying, “Yeah, maybe it’s time for him to move on”, but there’s ways of doing that and it should suit him as well, how he wants to leave.

‘Not being in the squad, not being spoken to, doesn’t know what’s going on, yes, I do know this, again, not being involved in the Community Shield squad, he doesn’t know what’s happening, I think he’s got a year left [on his contract].

‘If you bring Vini [Vinicius Junior] in, that kind of level in, Martinelli can say to himself, “well, okay, they’ve brought him and Tzolis, I might be third [choice]”, but if you’re bringing Tzolis in, and he’s looking at Tzolis, you look at Madueke on the other [wing], you’re thinking to yourself, “I think I can still have it with these two, I still think I’ve got something to offer here”.

‘For him to be nowhere near it, it makes me feel sad for him. I’m just saying I think he’s done enough with this team, with this squad, to be treated with a little bit more respect than he’s being treated at the moment.’

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