Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta responds to Gabriel Jesus claims after Barcelona transfer

Mikel Arteta has admitted that he was “very surprised” by Gabriel Jesus's comments about the circumstances surrounding his Arsenal exit following the striker's deadline-day move to Barcelona.

Jesus ended his four-year spell at the Emirates Stadium in the closing stages of the summer transfer window, joining Barcelona for a reported €10m after falling behind Viktor Gyokeres in Arsenal's attacking hierarchy.

The Brazil international subsequently suggested that communication over his future had been lacking, claiming that he completed pre-season with Arteta's first team before suddenly being instructed to train separately.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal's Premier League meeting with Sunderland, however, Arteta offered a different perspective on the way Jesus's departure was handled.

“I was very surprised, to be honest,” Arteta said.

“Especially because with Gabi, I had a private conversation in the dressing room. I don't know what words were said, that's fine, and the words that we exchanged between ourselves were all of gratitude.”

Jesus had returned to action after spending much of 2025 sidelined with a serious knee injury and was involved during Arsenal's pre-season preparations.

However, his prospects of regular football had diminished following the emergence of Gyokeres as Arteta's preferred centre-forward.

Jesus was not included in Arsenal's squads at the beginning of the Premier League campaign and later spoke openly about his frustration over how his situation developed.

“I was training. I did the whole pre-season normally with Arsenal and, obviously, I already knew that I probably wouldn't play there or have an opportunity,” Jesus told SportyTV.

“But nobody was telling me anything. I was training with the group and suddenly they put me to train separately.”

The 29-year-old had attracted interest from several clubs during the window, with Napoli, AC Milan, Juventus and Atletico Madrid all linked with moves before Barcelona eventually entered the race.

His departure was part of a significant reshaping of Arsenal's attack, with Gabriel Martinelli also joining Al-Hilal and Leandro Trossard moving to Besiktas.

Jesus, though, was the player who publicly expressed disappointment with the way his final weeks in North London were managed.

Arteta did not directly dispute that his former striker had been moved away from the main group but insisted that difficult conversations are sometimes an unavoidable part of management.

“When you have to give bad news, or news that people are not expecting, those reactions are natural,” the Arsenal boss said.

“Someone needs to be there to support them. If I have to be that person, I will be, and I understand.”

Whatever the disagreement over his Arsenal exit, Jesus has made an encouraging start to life in Spain.

Barcelona moved for the former Manchester City striker after failing to reach an agreement with Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez, completing the Jesus deal in less than a day once negotiations accelerated.

He has signed a three-year contract and is expected to provide Hansi Flick with another versatile option across the forward line rather than immediately becoming an automatic starter.

Raphinha has increasingly operated as Barcelona's central attacker, meaning Jesus has initially arrived as a rotation option.

That situation may appear similar to the competition he faced at Arsenal, but the Brazilian has already been given opportunities by Flick.

Jesus made his Barcelona debut from the bench during the 5-0 La Liga victory over Valencia before opening his account in his second appearance during the 5-1 Champions League win against Feyenoord.

Introduced during the second half of Barcelona's 5-1 Champions League win against Feyenoord, the striker scored with a header to register his first goal for the Catalan club.

The strike took Jesus to 27 Champions League goals, drawing him level with Rivaldo among the leading Brazilian scorers in the competition.

“It is the same feeling as when I scored the first goal of my career, a different emotion,” Jesus said afterwards.

“My first goal at a full Camp Nou is something I always imagined, and I was already able to achieve it in my second game.

“I really like playing in this competition. Last year I came close, and I hope this season will be different.”

For Arsenal, the focus has already shifted towards a new-look attack built around Gyokeres.

Yet Arteta's latest comments show that there remains a clear difference in perception over how Jesus's final days at the Emirates unfolded, even if both player and club have now moved on.

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