Guendouzi comes clean on Arteta rift and messy Arsenal exit
Karan Tejwani
- 25 Oct 2022 09:20 BST
- 3 min read
Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has spoken about his relationship with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and his departure from the club a few years ago.
The Frenchman joined Arsenal in the summer of 2018 under the management of Unai Emery, but after the Spaniard’s sacking, he wasn’t expected to have a big role.
He didn’t play much under new boss Mikel Arteta, and his final game came in Project Restart against Brighton, where he had a post-match altercation with Seagulls’ forward Neal Maupay.
READ: Incredible Guendouzi story shows the attitude that saw Arteta bin him
Now, for the first time, Guendouzi has spoken about his Arsenal exit and how he ended up leaving the Gunners soon after that match.
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Guendouzi speaks on Arsenal departure
Guendouzi first left Arsenal on loan to Hertha Berlin in Germany, then to Marseille, where he has impressed and has improved his reputation.
Now, speaking to Bein Sports, Guendouzi has spoken about his Arsenal exit and that Brighton game, which became one of his last for the Gunners.
READ: Matteo Guendouzi disaster is a big failure for Arteta and Arsenal
"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."
"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.
Team OM 🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/PJvSM62oRX
— Matteo Guendouzi (@MatteoGuendouzi) October 19, 2022
"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."
So good has been his form that he is in a strong position to be in the French World Cup squad travelling out to Qatar next month, and perhaps providing an indication of what Arsenal missed out on.
