Riccardo Calafiori and Viktor Gyokeres send messages as Arsenal confirm record deal
Riccardo Calafiori and Viktor Gyokeres were among those to message Gabriel Martinelli after his Arsenal exit was confirmed.
The 25-year-old has completed a £60million move to Al Hilal, ending his seven year stay with the Gunners.
The winger has also become the North London side's record sale, smashing the record set by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's £35m move to Liverpool in 2017.
Martinelli scored 11 goals and provided seven assist in 53 games across all competitions for Arsenal last season, but managed to net just one in the Premier League.
The Premier League champions reportedly needed to make a sale this summer as they struggle to keep in line with UEFA's financial fair play rules, and the Brazilian was deemed surplus to requirements.
Leandro Trossard has also left the side this summer, yet only Christos Tzolis has arrived at the club amid several failed attempts to make a major addition to the left of the attack.
Arsenal stars bid farewell to Gabriel Martinelli
Martinelli arrived in North London as a fresh-faced 18-year-old in 2019, joining in a £6m move from third-division side Ituano.
The Brazilian immediately looked a hit, scoring a brace on his debut in the Carabao Cup, before netting in games against Standard Liege and Liverpool.
He would end his first season with 10 goals in just 26 appearances, earning rave reviews from the likes of Jurgen Klopp.
Mikel Arteta's arrival saw Martinelli progress further, scoring 15 goals and providing five assists in the 2022-23 campaign to equal the record for the most goals scored by a Brazilian in one single Premier League season.
But recent years have seen the forward stagnate, often struggling to find the finishes he once did or making the wrong decision altogether.
Martinelli leaves as a Premier League winner and one of the most beloved players in recent Arsenal history.
"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," he wrote on Instagram. "From 35 to 11. Once a Gunner, Always a Gunner."
Calafiori and Gyokeres responded with hearts, along with the likes of Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Is Martinelli an Arsenal legend?
The definition of the word, legend, ultimately means different things to different people.
It can be about the feeling a player provides, a single memory or a career-worth of contributions.
Martinelli likely sits somewhere in the middle. The winger gave his everything for Arsenal every time he stepped on the pitch, and ultimately played a key part in ending the wait for the league title when he denied Manchester City three points at the Emirates Stadium last season.
One thing is for sure - Martinelli will always have a home in North London.