Mikel Arteta Defends Arsenal's Handling of Jesus and Martinelli Exits
Mikel Arteta has pushed back hard against claims that Arsenal mishandled the exits of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, insisting difficult conversations were held and respect remained intact.
The Arsenal manager faced questions after Jesus, now at Barcelona following a £12.5m move, revealed his anger at being told to train away from the senior squad before the transfer, saying “nobody told me anything.” The comments lit the fuse on a wider debate, especially once club legend Ian Wright criticised how Martinelli had been frozen out before his £60m switch to Al Hilal.
Arteta did not hide his irritation at that version of events.
“Very surprised, to be fair, especially because with Gabi [Jesus] I had an individual talk in the dressing room,” he said on Friday. “I don't know what words were said, it is fine.”
He stressed that their final exchanges were cordial, even warm.
“The words we used for each other, it was all about gratitude. 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].”
Arteta knows exactly where the finger is being pointed: at the manager who has to make the call, end the run, close the door. He did not shy away from that.
“Somebody has to be the bad cop. If I have to be, I have to be and I understand,” he said. For him, the real test comes later. “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.”
Leandro Trossard has become Arteta’s reference point. The Belgian forward left for Besiktas in a £15m deal this summer, yet he was back at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, happily mixing with former team-mates in the dressing room. For Arteta, that scene underlined his belief that professional splits do not have to become permanent divides.
He remains optimistic that time will soften any raw edges with both 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.”
While the noise around exits refuses to die down, Arsenal’s players have little room for distraction. They travel to Sunderland on Saturday night with a clear objective: another away win, another step in preserving a perfect start to the season.
They arrive in the North East buoyed by a statement result in Europe. Wednesday’s Champions League victory at Napoli has injected even more belief into a squad already moving with purpose.
There was one anxious moment in Italy when Ben White limped late on, but Arteta eased concerns, confirming the defender is “fine.” Cristhian Mosquera is less certain; the defender is being assessed as he wrestles with a muscular problem.
The questions about Jesus and Martinelli will linger. The fixtures will not. For Arteta, the only way to quieten the debate is the oldest method in football: keep winning.
