Arteta Defends Arsenal's Handling of Player Departures
Mikel Arteta has pushed back hard against claims that Arsenal mishandled the departures of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, insisting difficult conversations did take place and that gratitude, not bitterness, marked their farewells.
The Spaniard found himself in the firing line after Jesus revealed his frustration over his £12.5m move to Barcelona, saying "nobody told me anything" when he was told to train away from the first-team group in the build-up to the transfer.
Those comments lit the fuse. Debate flared again when Arsenal legend Ian Wright criticised the club’s treatment of Martinelli, who was frozen out of early-season squads before sealing a £60m switch to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.
On Friday, Arteta faced the questions head on.
Arteta: “Very surprised” by Jesus claim
Arteta did not hide his disbelief at Jesus’s version of events.
"Very surprised, to be fair, especially because with Gabi [Jesus] I had an individual talk in the dressing room," he said. "I don't know what words were said, it is fine."
He stressed that, from his perspective, their final exchanges were anything but hostile.
"The words we used for each other, it was all about gratitude," he continued. "I don't know, it is OK. Sometimes I understand when you have to deliver bad news or news that people don't expect, those things [you can] react [to]."
The message was clear: tough calls were made, but not in silence.
Trossard held up as the example
To show that relationships can survive a transfer, Arteta pointed to a fresh example from his own dressing room.
Leandro Trossard, sold to Besiktas for £15m in the summer, was back at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, happily mixing with his former team-mates in the home dressing room.
Arteta seized on that image.
"Somebody has to be the bad cop. If I have to be, I have to be and I understand," he said. "What is important is normally what happens three months later, six months later, when Trossard comes in, he is the dressing room with us, the atmosphere and the relationship you have."
That, in his eyes, is the true test of whether bridges have been burned or simply shaken.
He remains optimistic the same will prove true with Jesus and Martinelli.
"Things got so far with other players that they left, at some point the relationship has been really good," he said. "I hope that is the same case."
Noise off the pitch, focus on Sunderland
While the fallout from high-profile exits rumbles on, Arsenal’s season has barely put a foot wrong on the pitch. Arteta now needs his players to shut out the noise.
Arsenal travel to Sunderland on Saturday night, chasing another away win to keep their perfect league start intact. Confidence is high after Wednesday’s Champions League victory at Napoli, a result that reinforced the sense of a team building momentum early in the campaign.
Arteta also moved to calm any nerves over key personnel. Ben White, who limped late on in Italy, is "fine", according to the manager. Cristhian Mosquera, though, will be monitored as he deals with a muscular issue.
The disputes over departures may linger in the background. The question now is whether Arsenal’s form can stay as ruthless as their manager’s decisions.
