"Things are happening in the background" - Arteta on Smith-Rowe Fulham links

Sometimes many players, after spending many years at a club, feel the urge to try their luck at a new destination, as is the case of Emile Smith-Rowe. The Arsenal youth player seems to be closer than ever to ending his time as a Gunner.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that the English playmaker is close to joining Fulham after the Cottagers sent a formal offer of £35 million to the Emirates Stadium outfit. In fact, the Italian journalist confirmed that Fulham are ahead of Crystal Palace in the race for his signature.
In addition, Mikel Arteta himself told reporters that the player is assessing his future and that is why he will not take part in the Gunners' second pre-season friendly. “There are things happening in the background at the moment. We decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game”.
Smith Rowe would thus leave Arsenal after eight seasons in which he has made 115 first-team appearances, 64 of them starts, in which he has scored 18 goals and provided 12 assists.