Mikel Arteta has responded after Gabriel Jesus claimed he received no warning before being removed from Arsenal first-team training.
Jesus lifted the lid on the final days of his four-year spell in north London this week.
The Brazilian told SportyTV that “no one told me anything” before he was suddenly instructed to train away from Arteta’s first-team group.
ReadArsenal covered the full account in Thursday’s Gabriel Jesus training exile story, which has since become one of the site’s most-read articles.
Arteta has now offered a different perspective.
Arteta ‘very surprised’ by Jesus comments
Asked about Jesus’ claims before Arsenal’s trip to Sunderland, Arteta admitted he was “very surprised, to be fair.”
The Arsenal manager said he had held an individual conversation with Jesus in the dressing room before the striker left the club.
Arteta indicated that their exchange had centred on gratitude and suggested difficult decisions sometimes require a manager to deliver news players do not want to hear.
He added: “Somebody has to be the bad cop.”
Those comments suggest Arteta believed Jesus had been given greater clarity over his situation than the forward’s interview implied.
Jesus had completed Arsenal’s pre-season programme before finding himself outside the first-team group as the summer transfer window approached its conclusion.
He eventually completed an £8.6million move to Barcelona on deadline day after falling behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres in Arsenal’s striker hierarchy.
Arteta’s comments do not necessarily mean either account is inaccurate.
The disagreement appears to concern exactly when and how clearly Jesus was told his first-team status had changed.
It nevertheless adds another layer to a departure that had appeared relatively straightforward once Barcelona made their move.
Jesus was one of several senior players to leave during Arsenal’s major summer rebuild, which significantly changed Arteta’s attacking options for the new season.
Arsenal now turn their attention back to the Premier League, with Saturday’s trip to Sunderland offering Arteta’s side the chance to maintain their perfect start.
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