Arteta “very surprised”
Mikel Arteta did not let it slide. After his move to FC Barcelona, Gabriel Jesus claimed nobody had told him anything about leaving Arsenal. The Gunners boss has flatly rejected that version of events.
“With Gabi, I had a one-to-one talk in the dressing room. I don’t know what words were reported, but what we said was mainly about gratitude,” the Spaniard explained in his press conference.
He said he was “very surprised” by the comments surrounding the exit.
Try it for $0.99.
“Someone has to play the bad guy”
Arteta admits, though, that these sort of announcements rarely go down well. Telling a player he is no longer part of the plans usually sparks frustration, and he owns that.
“Sometimes, when you have to deliver bad news or something the person isn’t expecting, someone has to play the bad guy. If that’s me, then it’s me,” he said.
The manager would rather look ahead. “What matters is what happens three months or six months later,” he added. He pointed to Leandro Trossard, who recently returned to the Gunners dressing room for a match against Chelsea.
“Thank God, with all the players who have left, the relationships have stayed very good. I hope that will be the case as well.”
Jesus, a fresh start in Catalonia
The Brazilian left London this summer to sign a deal at Barca until 2029. He arrives with a heavy job on his hands: replacing Robert Lewandowski.
His last season in London was disrupted by a serious knee injury. The talk over his departure, though, is clearly not over yet.
Discover the rest of the FOOT news on our website and mathodds app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply