Matteo Guendouzi is set to leave Arsenal at the end of the season permanently with his loan deal to Marseille including an option to purchase clause.
It is understood that the Gunners are set to receive around £9 million for Guendouzi should certain clauses be met during his time in France. These are expected to be relatively simple to achieve and the Frenchman is unlikely to play for Arsenal again.
Marseille have started the season strongly with Guendouzi a prominent figure in Jorge Sampaoli’s team. The Chilean has used the 21-year-old in a midfield 3 but he is expected to operate in wider areas at times, covering for the lack of a natural wing-back.
William Saliba is his defensive partner, also on loan from Arsenal, and the pair share plenty of experiences from their time at Arsenal. Both having difficulty with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
However, Guendouzi in particular, who spent last season on loan with Hertha Berlin, has done little to prove the Spaniard wrong regarding his attitude.
Hertha’s coach Pal Dardai described him as ‘rebellious’ and likened his behaviour to that of someone of a much younger age.
“It’s like he’s in puberty sometimes, rebellious,” he said. “You have to know where the limit is. He has to learn, learn like a beast.”
Hertha chose not to pursue a further deal for Guendouzi despite his clear availability this summer. Since moving to Marseille, Guendouzi has been selected in the Ligue 1 team of the week twice but his issues off the pitch continue.
One of the reasons Mikel Arteta seemingly exiled Guendouzi from the club was his attitude and this appeared again an evident problem in Marseille’s most recent match.
He clashed with OM teammate Gerson at the weekend, reportedly questioning him for not running enough.
Since then, French reporter Romain Canuti has claimed that he now ‘grates’ his Marseille teammates for how he reacts to simple things like poor touches in training.
“It's not just Gerson who is fed up with Guendouzi,” said Canuti. “It does not matter, we should not interpret too much, but there are some players at OM who have trouble with Guendouzi. His way of working, when he always blames other people for things, when he puts both knees on the ground in training to implore the good god because the touch is not good, it annoys.
“I do not blame him for this attitude, we know this type of temperament in Marseille. But there are foreign players who are not too into it, who have a lot of trouble with that. When you have a guy like that, who always criticizes, behind, you do not necessarily want to sympathize with him on the rest.”
However, Canuti did go on to explain he feels there is a positive to this side of the young midfielder.
“OM needs character. Guendouzi has some, so it's good too, ” he said.
It may be a situation that needs to be assessed later down the line, but with just a couple of months into his time at Marseille and cracks showing, it could be heading for an explosive end.
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