AZ sells, Martinelli signs for Arsenal alongside Summerville

TransferTalk reports that AZ have sold their striker Ibrahim Sadiq, while Martinelli signs a record deal with Arsenal and will be a new teammate alongside Summerville there, shortly after the transfer window in the Netherlands closed on Wednesday evening and for the upcoming summer period.

AZ sells Ibrahim Sadiq to Colorado Rapids

The 26-year-old Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Sadiq leaves AZ for the American club Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer. Sadiq joined AZ three years ago, after the club signed him from the Swedish BK Häcken. At AZ he still had a contract for two years and played 85 matches, in which he scored eighteen times. Last season he won the KNVB Cup with AZ.

Arsenal has sold Gabriel Martinelli to the Saudi club Al‑Hilal for almost seventy million euros, a record revenue amount for the English champion. The Brazilian winger, 25 years old, has appeared in 278 matches for Arsenal since 2019, scoring 62 goals and providing 36 assists. He won a league title, an FA Cup and the English Super Cup with Arsenal. At Al‑Hilal he will be, among others, a teammate of Netherlands international Crysencio Summerville.

Transfer market closes in the Netherlands, other countries remain open

The transfer market in the Netherlands has been closed since Wednesday evening, while the markets in the foreign top leagues closed a day earlier. In Scotland the market closes on Thursday at 17:00, in Qatar on 3 September at 22:59, and in Belgium at 23:59. Turkey remains open until Friday 4 September 22:59, Saudi Arabia until Sunday 6 September, Portugal until 15 September 20:00 and Greece until 15 September 20:17. Clubs in these countries can still sign free agents, where the market is still open varies by country.

FIFA recorded more than 1,250 transfers for a record amount of €8.4 billion in the past period. English clubs spent €2.6 billion, Italian clubs €944 million and Spanish clubs €809 million. French clubs sold players for the highest amount, €1.4 billion, followed by English clubs with €1.2 billion in sales. The KNVB will later publish figures on the Dutch transfers.

Records have also been broken in women's football; spending on female players has nearly doubled by almost €25 million compared to last year. More than 1,400 players switched clubs, with English clubs spending almost €7 million the most on new female players. AZ loaned Sam de Grand to Lommel SK; the 21-year-old Dutch left wing‑back signed a four‑year contract with AZ in July after a spell at the Belgian club. De Grand grew up in Belgium and played in the youth teams of OH Leuven, RSC Anderlecht and Racing Genk, before moving to SK Lommel in 2023.

© Pro Shots, Getty Images shows Esmir Bajraktarevic, Cherrion Valerius and Georginio Wijnaldum in a recent photo. The image was shared via TransferTalk and highlights the international attention on the current transfer period. The FA and Dutch football continue to closely monitor the developments, while fans wonder where the market is still open.