Arteta breaks silence to defend handling of Jesus and Martinelli exits

It's nothing new for a manager to have to explain why he pushed a player out of the squad. But when that player is a World Cup winner who publicly says "nobody told him anything," things get awkward. That's exactly what happened to Mikel Arteta this week, and the Arsenal boss decided to address it head on.

The root of the controversy has two names: Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, the two Brazilians who left this summer. Jesus moved to Barcelona for 15 million euros (about $17 million) after training away from the main group, and he said publicly that no one had explained the decision to him. Martinelli, meanwhile, was left out of matchday squads at the start of the season before ending up at Al Hilal for 60 million pounds ($81 million), a transfer that even club legend Ian Wright publicly questioned.

Arteta didn't dodge the subject when asked about it on Friday. His answer was direct and, by his own admission, even a bit puzzled.

Very surprised, to be honest, especially because I had a one on one conversation with Gabi in the locker room. I don't know what was said out there, that's fine.Mikel Arteta

The Spaniard insisted that, in his version of events, the parting with Jesus was on good terms. "The words we exchanged were all about gratitude. I don't know, that's fine. Sometimes I understand that when you have to deliver bad news or unexpected news, you can react to it," he explained, suggesting that a player's initial frustration over a forced exit is only human, and even to be expected.

The Trossard example

To defend how he handles these situations, Arteta pointed to a recent case that suits him perfectly: Leandro Trossard. The Belgian also packed his bags this summer, heading to Besiktas for 18 million euros ($21 million), only to be back at the Emirates Stadium just weeks later, in time to feature in Sunday's 2-1 win over Chelsea.

With that example on the table, the manager embraced a label many coaches avoid but that he seems to wear comfortably: the villain of the story. "Someone has to be the bad cop. If I have to be that, I will be, and I understand it. What matters is what usually happens three months later, six months later: when Trossard arrives, he's part of the locker room with us, the atmosphere and the relationship you build," he said. He went further, noting that with other players who left in the past, the relationship ended up improving over time, something he hopes will also happen with Jesus and Martinelli.

While the debate continues off the field, on it Arsenal keeps rolling. The team travels to face Sunderland this Saturday looking to keep its perfect start to the season intact. Arteta also gave a medical update: Ben White is fine after the limp he showed at the end of Wednesday's Champions League win over Napoli, while Cristhian Mosquera remains under observation for a muscle issue the club expects to resolve soon.