Gabriel Martinelli's tense saga sees Arsenal players take side in feud over his treatment

Gabriel Martinelli looks set to leave Arsenal for Al-Hilal in the coming days, having been frozen out of Mikel Arteta's first-team squad in ruthless fashion

Mikel Arteta's treatment of Gabriel Martinelli is claimed to have created tension in the Arsenal dressing room.

The 25-year-old has been ejected from the squad at the start of the new Premier League season, with the Gunners keen on offloading him before the summer transfer window slams shut.

The Brazilian has spent a staggering seven years in North London, bagging 62 goals in 278 appearances. However, it appears as though he has had his last outing under Arteta's reign.

He was omitted from the matchday squads for the Community Shield victory against Manchester City and the opening-day demolition of Coventry.

Martinelli has less than 12 months left on his deal and Arsenal have determined this is the moment to cash in. Having turned down a switch to Galatasaray, Martinelli is now set to join Al-Hilal for a fee around £50million, which would represent a record sale for Arsenal.

That financial boost will assist the club in securing the world-class attacker they have pursued throughout the summer, with Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez remaining a potential target.

However, the manner in which they have reportedly ushered Martinelli towards the exit has carried consequences.

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ESPN Brazil reports that, predictably, Martinelli is dissatisfied with how he's been discarded in recent weeks. The winger reportedly didn't receive a medal for the side's Community Shield success and there has been considerable sympathy from his team-mates.

As Mirror Football has reported, offloading Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira before 1st September has been viewed as a crucial element of Arsenal's summer transfer activity.

However, the manner in which Arteta has handled this has risked provoking a backlash. Speaking to Sky Sports following Friday night's 3-0 victory over Coventry, club legend Ian Wright said: "With respect to Martinelli and the way he's being treated at the moment, it really makes me uncomfortable.

"He always gives 100 per cent, 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."

He added: "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."

Martinelli is poised to become Arsenal's record departure, surpassing the £35million Liverpool paid for midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017. He would join Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Christian Norgaard in departing the club this summer.