For the first time, former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has publicly discussed his relationship with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and the circumstances that lead to his eventual exit for Marseille.
The Frenchman was first brought to the Emirates by Arteta's predecessor Unai Emery in the summer of 2018 and was thrown in at the deep end with a debut against Manchester City on the opening day of the 2018/19 season. In light of Emery's sacking, the end was only around the corner for Guendouzi as well.
Things came to a head during what was only the second game of Arsenal's 'Project Restart' when they were beaten 2-1 by Brighton at the Amex. Guendouzi had an altercation with Seagulls match-winner Neal Maupay after the full-time whistle and clearly let down his then-manager in the process.
In the aftermath of that incident, Guendouzi was rarely named in the starting line-up for the Gunners ever again. He first was sent out on loan to Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin, bur failed to impress enough for the German side to try and push for a permanent move.
The following summer he returned to his home country of France to ply his trade for Marseille on a season-long loan deal. That switch did eventually become permanent, with Guendouzi flourishing under the guidance of the since departed Jorge Sampaoli and maturing into quite the midfielder.
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In a recent interview with BeIN Sports, the 23-year-old discussed that run-in with Maupay and even made the bold claim that he had some "great performances" under Arteta at Arsenal.
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"Journalists used this excuse to say that we had a bad relationship and that’s why I stopped playing and left Arsenal [the Maupay incident]," Guendouzi claimed. "Not at all. It’s a gesture like many on the pitch. There’s a lot of tension sometimes, a lot of problems on the pitch. In any case, it has nothing to do with all that."
Addressing his time under Arteta, the ex-Gunner added: "It’s true that I didn’t have the best relationship with him. Beyond that, I always tried to work, always gave the maximum of myself in training and in matches. I still play a few matches with him, I still did great performances.
"He preferred other players and I respect that decision. That’s why, afterwards, I also decided to leave because I was still young, I needed playing time to continue to progress. The most important when you’re young is to play."
Guendouzi's career has gone from strength to strength since his Arsenal exit and is now in contention for a place in the France squad for the upcoming World Cup next month.
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