Jacobs says translation changed meaning of Martinelli comments in Al Hilal transfer story

A translation error has triggered fresh debate over Gabriel Martinelli’s proposed move from Arsenal to Al Hilal, after British journalist Ben Jacobs challenged a summary of his comments published by Al Arabiya’s football programme Fi Al-Marma.

Jacobs appeared on the programme to discuss negotiations between Arsenal and Al Hilal over the Brazil winger. A post published by the programme’s account on X said Galatasaray had made a €20m offer for Martinelli, while Al Hilal had offered Arsenal €66m and was prepared to pay the player €20m a year.

However, Jacobs quickly rejected the wording and reposted the message to explain that the Arabic translation had significantly altered the meaning of what he had said.

The journalist stressed that he had not claimed Galatasaray made a mistake in their negotiations. His point, he said, was that the proposed deal would be financially attractive for Arsenal because Al Hilal’s offer was around €20m higher than the one made by the Turkish club.

The comparison he intended to make was between a €45m bid from Galatasaray and a €66m offer from Al Hilal.

Jacobs also clarified that his comments about Martinelli referred to the player’s attitude towards a move to Galatasaray. He said Martinelli had not been open to joining the Turkish club, rather than suggesting Galatasaray had handled the negotiations incorrectly.

Writing on X, Jacobs said: “That is not what I said at all. Something has been lost in translation here. I said it was a good deal for Arsenal because Hilal are paying around €20m more than Galatasaray offered. €45m vs. €66m. I didn’t say Galatasaray made a mistake. I said Martinelli was not open to the…”

He added that the Arabic version may have failed to convey his original meaning, insisting that the summary published by the programme was not close to what he had said in English.

The dispute comes as Martinelli’s possible transfer to Al Hilal attracts considerable attention, with the Saudi club reportedly nearing an agreement for the Brazil international. The proposed move has generated strong interest among supporters in both Saudi Arabia and England.

Martinelli, an Arsenal winger, is therefore at the centre of two separate discussions: the negotiations between the clubs and the media row surrounding the reporting of those talks. Jacobs’ intervention means the transfer story has now developed into a debate over how his comments were translated and presented.

The episode has also highlighted the importance of precise reporting during a high-profile transfer negotiation. Rather than allowing the disputed summary to stand, Jacobs publicly corrected the record and drew a clear distinction between his original remarks and the version published by the programme’s account.

At the heart of his clarification were two points: Al Hilal’s reported €66m proposal would be worth around €20m more to Arsenal than Galatasaray’s €45m offer, and Martinelli was not open to a move to Galatasaray. He said neither point should be interpreted as criticism of the Turkish club’s conduct in the negotiations.