Former Arsenal wonderkid has 'no regrets' despite being axed by Arteta

Tom Weber

Updated: 5 Mar 2024 18:31 GMT
3 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Matteo Guendouzi has no regrets about joining Arsenal despite his Gunners career coming to an unceremonious end under Mikel Arteta.

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The French midfielder has been starring for Serie A side Lazio since joining the club on loan from Marseille in the summer. Still only 24, the erstwhile wonderkid has been around for a long time and he has already played in four different countries.

While things haven't been going to plan domestically for Lazio this season, Guendouzi played a crucial role in the Rome outfit's recent Champions League round of 16 first-leg triumph over Bayern Munich and he is a key cog in the midfield of ex-Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri.

To get to this point, the former Lorient starlet had to overcome some significant adversity. At Arsenal and on loan at Hertha BSC, the Frenchman's career stagnated, but thanks to his competitive streak, which has often boiled over into reckless actions on the pitch, Guendouzi managed to relaunch his career at Marseille.

© IMAGO - Matteo Guendouzi receiving his marching orders against Milan last week

Arsenal flop or victim of Arteta?

Had things perhaps panned out slightly differently, Guendouzi might still be a regular at Arsenal. He joined the Gunners as a teenager in 2018 for €8 million and was a regular fixture under then-coach Unai Emery.

When Mikel Arteta replaced his compatriot, however, Guendouzi's game time increasingly diminished and the youngster was eventually banished from the squad following an altercation with then-Brighton striker Neal Maupay because of repeated issues with his 'attitude and general conduct.' That was the unceremonious end of his promising Arsenal career, but, speaking to The Athletic, he has insisted that he has 'no regrets.'

"I have no regrets about what I did at Arsenal. I was 19 and I went on to play 85 games in two years. 85 games for a big club like Arsenal is a lot. A lot of things can happen on the pitch and sometimes some players say some things you don’t accept and that’s why we had some problems when we played this game against Brighton.”