Error in the details of Martinelli's transfer and Al-Hilal sparks controversy!
A translation blunder has thrown the deal for Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli into controversy. The "In the Net" programme on "Al-Arabiya" botched its rendering of comments by British journalist Ben Jacobs, forcing him to step in and set the record straight on what he had actually said.
Jacobs appeared on the show to discuss Al-Hilal's negotiations with Arsenal over the Brazilian. The programme's account on X then published a summary of his remarks claiming Galatasaray had tabled an offer of 20 million euros for the player, while Al-Hilal's bid reached 66 million euros for the English club, plus 20 million euros a year for Martinelli.
The British journalist wasted no time hitting back. He reposted the tweet and explained that the translation had wrenched his statements out of context, with a huge gap between his original words and what appeared in the post.
Nothing he said referred to Galatasaray fumbling their negotiations, Jacobs insisted. His actual point was that the deal made financial sense for Arsenal, because Al-Hilal's offer came in around 20 million euros above the Turkish bid. The real comparison, he stressed, was 45 million euros from Galatasaray against 66 million euros from Al-Hilal.
His point about Martinelli was different again. Jacobs had merely said the player was not open to a move to Galatasaray, not that the Turkish club had mishandled the deal. That was exactly the wording he refused to let stand.
"This is not at all what I said. It seems something was lost in translation here," Jacobs wrote on his account. He added that the Arabic version may have distorted his meaning, but insisted the published summary came nowhere near what he had said in the original English.
All of this lands with the Martinelli deal drawing serious attention. Al-Hilal are closing in on the Brazilian winger, and the translation row has added a fresh twist to a saga gripping Saudi and English fans alike.
What began as straightforward negotiations between Al-Hilal and Arsenal has spilled into a media storm. One of the most prominent journalists in the transfer market has had to correct his own words and make clear the gap between what he said and what got published came down to the translation, not the substance of his remarks.
