Mikel Arteta has moved to shut down the growing noise around Arsenal’s summer exodus, firmly rejecting claims from Gabriel Jesus and criticism over Gabriel Martinelli’s departure as the fallout from two high‑profile exits rumbled on.
Arteta hits back at Jesus grievance
Jesus, now at Barcelona after a £12.5m move, recently revealed his irritation at how his Arsenal chapter ended, saying “nobody told me anything” when he was told to train away from the first team before the transfer.
Arteta didn’t hide his disbelief.
“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 insisted the conversations around the exit were clear, direct and, crucially, respectful. For Arteta, the final tone between player and manager matters as much as the decision itself.
“The words we used for each other, it was all about gratitude,” he explained. “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 suggestion was obvious: emotions run high when careers shift, memories blur, and the story can look very different once a player has left the building.
Wright’s Martinelli blast adds fuel
The Jesus remarks landed in the same week Arsenal legend Ian Wright publicly questioned the club’s handling of Gabriel Martinelli.
The winger, once a symbol of Arsenal’s new era, found himself completely frozen out of early-season matchday squads before sealing a £60m move to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. For supporters, the speed and severity of that exile jarred. For Wright, it was enough to take aim at how the club had treated a fan favourite.
Arteta, though, refused to be dragged into a war of words. He kept his focus on process, not personalities, and leaned on examples he feels back up his approach.
Trossard used as dressing-room example
Leandro Trossard became his case study. The Belgian forward left for Besiktas in a £15m deal this summer, another move that might have strained relationships in a more volatile dressing room.
Instead, Trossard was back at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, happily mixing with former team-mates in the home dressing room. For Arteta, that postscript said more than any headline.
“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 is the line Arteta is determined to hold: tough decisions now, repaired relationships later. He has seen it before and expects to see it again.
“Things got so far with other players that they left, at some point the relationship has been really good,” he added. “I hope that is the same case.”
The message to Jesus and Martinelli was clear. Time, not talk shows, will judge how those bonds survive.
Sunderland next as Arsenal chase perfection
While the debate swirls around exits and dressing‑room dynamics, Arsenal’s season on the pitch is gathering speed.
Arteta’s side travel to Sunderland on Saturday night, intent on shutting out the noise and protecting their perfect start to the campaign. The mood is buoyant after a statement Champions League win away to Napoli on Wednesday, a result that reinforced the sense of a squad growing in authority on the European stage.
There was one anxious moment in Italy when Ben White limped late on, but Arteta eased any fears with a succinct update: the defender is “fine”. Cristhian Mosquera is less certain; the defender is being assessed as he battles a muscular issue, with the medical team weighing up the risk ahead of the weekend.
Arsenal, then, head north with momentum, a clean league record and a manager who has no intention of letting a few unsettled goodbyes derail the start of a season that already feels loaded with possibility.
