'I played with Arsenal star Mikel Arteta froze out - I understand exactly why he did it'

Mikel Arteta cast Matteo Guendouzi to the side at Arsenal due to the attitude which a former team-mate saw first hand. Guendouzi, 25, impressed at FC Lorient in his youth before signing his first professional contract with the side in 2016. The midfielder spent two years with Les Merlus before the Gunners swooped in for him in an undisclosed fee in 2018, offering an opportunity to make a name for himself in the Premier League .

While Guendouzi received plenty of game time under Unai Emery in his maiden season - playing 33 in the league and 15 across cup competitions - Arteta seemed to have a change of heart over the Frenchman when he arrived at the Emirates in December 2019. Guendouzi saw himself dropped from the side in favour of Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka , instead being sent out on loan to the likes of Hertha Berlin and Marseille - the latter becoming a permanent transfer in 2022. And according to former Arsenal starlet, Jeremie Aliadiere , it was Guendouzi's attitude which may have caused friction between he and Arteta in north London.



Speaking to Le Telegramme , Aliadiere - who himself spent six years with the Gunners after signing aged 16 in 2001 - said: "Frankly, from the point of view of talent and purely football, if I’m just talking about that, there is no surprise. "After, during my last season in Lorient, when he started to train with us and to play, I had a little question about his attitude. I said to myself: He’ll have to change a bit.

"He’s in Lorient, so it’s understandable, it’s a small family club, that’s it. But if he wants to climb the ladder and go play in a big club, his attitude will have to change. I think he understood that right away when he arrived [at Arsenal].

" Guendouzi earned himself a hot-head reputation following a post-match altercation with Brighton's Neal Maupay in 2020, which saw him excluded from training and reportedly removed from his club's match-day squads through issues with "attitude and general conduct". His relationship with Arteta never managed to recover from the situation, leading to his initial loan with Hertha. However, speaking in 2022, Guendouzi claimed that the incident with Maupay had nothing to do with his ultimate exit from England.

He explained: " Journalists used this excuse to say that we had a bad relationship and that's why I stopped playing and left Arsenal. "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." Regarding his relationship with Arteta, he added: " 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. 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." Guendouzi spent two years as a Marseille player, making 35 appearances for the side before being loaned out to Lazio between 2023 and 2024.

A move to the side was made permanent this year, with Guendouzi playing each of their 12 Serie A games this season thus far. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

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