Arteta silent on Alvarez but hints at Jesus exit

[Getty Images] Mikel Arteta's news conference before Arsenal's match with Aston Villa on Monday night was always going to be dominated by transfer talk as the transfer window is still open. This one did not disappoint with a large part of the questioning centred around the future of Julian Alvarez. The Atletico Madrid striker has been the subject of one of the longest-running sagas of the window, with Arsenal's interest in the forward well-documented. Arteta was asked about a story from Spain where it was reported that a phone call from the Gunners boss to Alvarez was not returned. He would not be drawn on the topic of Alavarez and told one journalist "don't go there", when he was asked about conversations with the striker. However, Arteta did give a hint that that Gabriel Jesus could be moving closer to exiting the club. The Brazilian striker was not in training with the rest of the first team squad and Arteta said that players were dealing with "personal situations". And when pushed whether this was transfer-related, he said: "Personal situations, whatever they are, I think it's clear." Arteta also spoke about Gabriel Martinelli's future, saying that if he was to potentially leave the club, with reports of interest from Al-Hilal, it will be because "everyone agrees".