Martinelli Should Take Galatasaray's €45M Offer and Move On from Arsenal

The Turkish Super Lig is pulling serious talent this summer, and Galatasaray are now believed to have tabled a bid in the region of €45m/£38.4m for Arsenal wide man Gabriel Martinelli. The move would place the Brazilian alongside a wave of top-flight European players who have chosen Turkey this window.

Fenerbahce have been among the most active clubs, completing deals for Romelu Lukaku, Mason Greenwood, Nathan Ake, Vedat Muriqi, and Sidiki Cherif. Besiktas secured Leandro Trossard from Arsenal, Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus, Alexander Nubel from Bayern Munich, and Kassoum Outtara from Monaco. Trabzonspor landed arguably the highest-profile name of all in Mo Salah.

Martinelli’s Path Back at Arsenal Is Effectively Closed

Like Trossard before him, Martinelli was never able to fully claim the left-wing position under Mikel Arteta, who rotated the pair across the last two seasons. Now seemingly surplus to requirements at 25 years old, he faces a narrow set of options with the new season days away.

Holding firm and refusing to leave is a legitimate stance. When a club signals a player is available, though, it almost always signals the end of that relationship. Only in rare cases, Manchester United‘s Harry Maguire being the standout example, does a player successfully fight back into a manager’s plans and alter the course of their career at that club.

Without significant competing offers, Martinelli has limited leverage. Staying put without game time until January is a real risk for a player in his prime years.

The Numbers Tell a Complicated Story

Across 2025/26, Martinelli made 53 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists. That output matched Bukayo Saka’s combined goal and assist tally, despite Saka logging almost 1,000 more minutes on the pitch. Of Arsenal players who made 50 or more appearances that season, Martinelli started significantly fewer games (25) than any of his teammates.

His 11 fast breaks ranked second in the entire squad, with Saka the only other Arsenal player to reach double figures. A shooting accuracy of 54% and a conversion rate of 16.67% placed him near the top of those metrics squad-wide. His 27 shots on target were the third most of any Arsenal player.

Where His Game Falls Short

The weaknesses are harder to dismiss. A pass completion rate of 78.96% was among the worst in the squad, a serious liability in a system built on quick, progressive combinations. Winning just 40.81% of ground one-on-one duels placed him near the bottom of that metric, ahead of only Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri, both players who rarely featured. Only 18 tackles attempted across the season is another figure that would concern potential suitors assessing his defensive contribution.

Martinelli can point to 48 successful take-ons, 106 progressive carries of 10 or more yards, and 103 possession recoveries as evidence of his continued value. Those are legitimate numbers. The defensive and passing gaps, though, appear to be precisely what is narrowing his market.

The Clock Is Running Down

With the new season less than two weeks out, and the Community Shield arriving even sooner, Martinelli needs to act. The Galatasaray offer represents guaranteed minutes, a significant fee that confirms his market value, and a competitive environment in a league that has attracted elite-level talent this summer. Waiting for a Premier League or top-five league bid that may not materialise is a gamble at a stage when momentum matters most.

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