Arsenal told €70m summer transfer will 'cost them'

Updated: 6 Sept 2026 12:42 BST | 4 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2026/27 — © IMAGO

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

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Arsenal legend Paul Merson has criticised his former club’s decision to sell Gabriel Martinelli to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal this summer.

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The Brazil international played a rotation role at the Emirates Stadium last season and following weeks of transfer speculation, he officially completed a €70 million move to Saudi Arabia on 3 September.

Current ETV

Gabriel Martinelli

F, M (L)

Al-Hilal

Gabriel Martinelli

F, M (L)

Al-Hilal

ETV Range

€32.6M - €39.8M

In the process of the transfer, Martinelli has become Arsenal’s most expensive sale in history, usurping Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and he is expected to form an exciting front three alongside Ollie Watkins and Crysencio Summerville at Al-Hilal.

However, while Arsenal have earned a record fee through Martinelli’s departure, it has left their attack slightly thin, which could prove problematic as they look to challenge on multiple fronts once again this season.

It was initially understood that Arsenal would only allow Martinelli to leave if a suitable replacement was lined up, but the club eventually sanctioned a sale despite their failure to sign top targets Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior, Yan Diomande, Bradley Barcola or Malick Fofana.

Instead, Eberechi Eze is set to compete with summer signing Christos Tzolis for the left-wing berth in Mikel Arteta’s favoured starting XI, with Leandro Trossard among the stars to also leave the Emirates Stadium over the summer.

The signings of Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa has been widely heralded as excellent business, but Merson has criticised the Gunners for their business in attack this summer.

© IMAGO - Bruno Guimaraes has joined Arsenal from Newcastle

Arsenal slammed for summer transfer business

“I think they’ll [Arsenal] win the Premier League, but I think they’ll fall short in the Champions League because of not having that extra person up front,” Merson admitted to Sky Sports.

“[Kai] Havertz and [Viktor] Gyokeres, I like those two, but they are not going to give you sleepless nights. And you look on the left, you have Tzolis and Eze. Eze is a good footballer, but I think I like him more in the middle than out on the left and Tzolis is a very hard-working left winger, a manager’s dream.

“My picture is when you’re playing against PSG away and Bayern Munich away and Inter Milan away and Real Madrid and Barcelona, I can’t imagine the right-back having a sleepless night. I can’t imagine him tossing and turning in bed thinking, oh my god, I’ve got to play against him tonight.”

© IMAGO - Gabriel Martinelli has left Arsenal

Merson continued: “I wouldn’t have let Trossard go, in my opinion, I think he’s a good footballer. I think he’s a clever player and has played in the big games.

“When you’re at the top, you buy players, you buy players and you stay at the top. The thing with what you’re saying about Arsenal’s forward line and the players they’ve got in their position, they’re very good in the Premier League, because teams sit back against Arsenal in the Premier League, so they haven’t got any runners.

“No one runs off the ball, Arsenal, the front players; you never see them going that way. But they’re alright, because teams sit ten behind the ball and they’ll have the guile and they’ll have the patience to break a team down.

“When you go and play PSG away and Bayern Munich away and they come and have a go at you, they won’t have that fear of that pace of Martinelli on the counter-attack, and that will cost them.”