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Mikel Arteta received much criticism over his treatment of ex-Arsenal man Mateo Guendouzi but those actions have now been vindicated.
THE LOWDOWN: TORRID TIME AT ARSENAL
Arsenal signed Matteo Guendouzi in the summer of 2018, in a deal believed to be worth around £8m. Only 19 at the time, the teenager joined from Lorient with a growing reputation on his shoulders.
The Frenchman started his Arsenal career on a positive note but things soon took a downhill turn, following reports of the player’s disciplinary issues.
Guendouzi had to endure a turbulent time at the Emirates, which saw him dropped from the starting lineup and ultimately frozen out of the first team at the end of the 2019/20 season.
Arsenal shipped Guendouzi out on loan for two seasons and the youngster officially left the club on a permanent basis last month, after Marseille activated their option-to-buy in a reported £9m deal. The Frenchman’s talents remain questionable and a section of Arsenal fans believe Mikel Arteta could have kept the player at the club and worked on his character.
A recent development has now shown that the Gunners head coach was simply right to let the 23-year-old leave the club.
THE LATEST: GUENDOUZI INVOLVED IN ANOTHER BUST-UP
In no time at all, the former Arsenal man has reportedly fallen out with new Marseille boss Igor Tudor, despite the Croat only arriving at the Stade Vélodrome in July.
L’Equipe claim Guendouzi had a fierce altercation with the new manager at half-time in the club’s friendly against AC Milan last week. Marseille went on to lose that game by a 2-0 scoreline and the Frenchman received a booking in the 40th minute.
The report did not state exactly what caused the face-off but it was intense enough to see Guendouzi leave the stadium, while he refused to show up for the second half.
Regardless, the Frenchman was named in Marseille’s starting lineup for their season opener against Reims on Sunday. He played for 77 minutes before he was substituted as Les Phocéens claimed a comfortable 4-1 victory at home.
THE VERDICT: QUALITY PLAYER BUT TERRIBLE CHARACTER
Arteta made the right choice by letting Guendouzi leave as he had a bird’s eye view of the player’s attitude problems.
As seen in the recently released All or Nothing, Arsenal series, the Gunners coach is particular about unity in the dressing room and would not hesitate to weed out any player causing a letdown in that aspect, hence the fall-out with ex-captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Guendouzi having a problem with a new manager barely less than two months into the club shows the problem is from the player and not those managing him. Arteta has been vindicated after letting him leave on the cheap as his attitude and bad vibes was not needed at the Emirates.
