Gabriel Martinelli omits Mikel Arteta in Arsenal farewell post after 'uncomfortable' move

Gabriel Martinelli pointedly excluded Mikel Arteta from his farewell message with Arsenal in an icy manner, having signed for Al-Hilal in a £60 million ($81.2 million) transfer on Thursday.

The 25-year-old found himself considered expendable at the Emirates Stadium this summer, with Christos Tzolis and Ebere Eze assuming prominence in Arteta's starting XI.

Consequently, Martinelli was connected with numerous clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia before ultimately deciding on Pro League powerhouse Al-Hilal.

The Brazilian traveled to the Middle East earlier this week for a medical examination, before he was presented by Al-Hilal on Thursday - with Arsenal also posting a message of gratitude for the left-winger's contributions since 2019.

The club stated, as per football.london : "Forever a Gunner. The club can confirm that Gabriel Martinelli has joined Al-Hilal on a permanent deal. Thank you for everything and best of luck, Gabi."

Martinelli also utilized social media to post a sincere tribute of his own to the club, though, without even acknowledging Arteta after their relationship apparently deteriorated.

He stated: "I can only thank the staff and my teammates. Thank you to the chefs, kit staff, doctors, doormen, security staff, media team, cleaning staff, physios, and every single teammate who has been part of my story from 2019 until today. Thank you to everyone who helped me grow during this journey.

"And to the fans, thank you for everything. Since my first day, you made me feel at home. Every time I stepped on the pitch, despite everything, I tried to give everything I had for this shirt. To Arsenal, thank you for believing in me and giving me the chance to show myself to the world.

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"Most of all, I want to thank my family and my wife, who have been by my side throughout this entire journey, giving me all the emotional support I needed to overcome the challenges that only we truly know. It has been a long journey, too much history and now it has come to an end.

"I'm writing this with tears in my eyes, so hard to put 7 years into words. From 35 to 11. Once a Gunner, Always a Gunner. Goodbye, and thank you again."

The heartfelt farewell follows Ian Wright's scathing criticism of the club's behind-the-scenes handling of Martinelli's exit, with the Arsenal legend expressing how "uncomfortable" his former club's conduct made him feel.

Addressing the situation after Arsenal's season-opening victory over Coventry City, Wright told Sky Sports: "With respect to Martinelli and the way he's being treated at the moment, it really makes me uncomfortable.

"He always gives 100 percent, we're not saying he's the greatest, but he's come up with some big moments for Arsenal in big games, and the way he's being treated at the end here – I know they might want him out and there's a lot of guys saying it's time for him to move on, but there's ways of doing that should suit him as well."

Asked what he meant by the treatment, Wright explained: "Not being in the squad tonight, not being spoken to, doesn't know what's going on."

He continued: "Yes, I do know this, I know this. Not being involved in the Community Shield squad, not being involved tonight, he doesn't know what's happening, he's got a year left.

"If you bring Vini in, that kind of level, Martinelli can say to himself, 'Well okay they've brought him in and Tzolis, I might be third. ' But if you're bringing in Tzolis and Madueke's there, you're thinking to yourself, 'I've got something to offer here.'

"So for him to be nowhere near it, just makes me feel a bit sad for him. I think he's done enough in this squad to be treated with a bit more respect than he's been treated at the moment."