Newcastle United could look to make an intriguing summer transfer for a player who failed at Arsenal and encountered behavioural issues under Mikel Arteta.
Eddie Howe won Newcastle their first trophy in 70 years in March, when they beat Liverpool to lift the League Cup at Wembley. After minimal transfer activity in 2024/25, Newcastle look set to complete a busy summer as they try and close the gap to the top teams in the Premier League, though they might have a change of tact this time around.
Since taking over, Howe has carefully curated a talented squad that also focuses on camaraderie between each player. Their latest transfer target suggests talent might have become the overriding factor, however.
Newcastle want ex-Arsenal flop
Mikel Arteta got to work on the Arsenal squad extremely early on during his tenure at the club, selling the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi as he looked to create a cohesive unit at the Emirates.
Another player he lost patience with is Matteo Guendouzi, who is now performing well at Lazio and has caught the eye of Newcastle and Eddie Howe.
Arteta ordered Guendouzi to train alone in 2020 after he clashed with Neal Maupay during a defeat to Brighton, with The Athletic reporting that the Arsenal boss had grown tired of Guendouzi's series of transgressions relating to "attitude and general conduct". That wasn't the first time Arteta excluded the Frenchman from the side, either, with Guendouzi's behaviour on a warm weather training camp seeing him miss a Premier League match.
Subsequent loans to Hetha Berlin and then Marseille saw Guendouzi permanently leave the Emirates in 2022. He is now settled at Lazio and a key player for the Serie A side, having made 42 appearances in all competitions this term.
Despite Guendouzi's past with disciplinary issues, though, Newcastle boss Howe remains a fan of the Frenchman and wants to bring him to St. James' Park for added squad depth. The Magpies were linked with the 26-year-old last summer, with the report suggesting that that interest hasn't gone away.
According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Guendouzi is "among the very first names" on Newcastle's summer shortlist, with the midfielder seen as affordable considering his €18m move in 2024. With three years remaining on his deal, Transfermarkt values him at €32m.
In FourFourTwo's view, Guendouzi certainly looks to had matured in recent seasons since leaving the Premier League, and could provide good cover to Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali next season if he does arrive.
His price tag does seem a little steep for a squad player, however, and especially one who has had disciplinary issues in the past. Newcastle have more pressing areas of concern in the squad right now, and perhaps that money should be spent elsewhere.
