MATTEO GUENDOUZI has opened up on his relationship with Mikel Arteta and revealed the real reason behind his Arsenal departure.
The midfielder left the club in a permanent transfer to Marseille in the summer after spending the two previous years out on loan.
Matteo Guendouzi revealed he left Arsenal because Mikel Arteta preferred other players
The midfielder never played for the Gunners again after an altercation with Neal Maupay
He was banished by the Arsenal squad by Arteta in the summer of 2020 after an incident with Brighton’s Neal Maupay.
At the end of the match, which took place during Project Restart, Guendouzi grabbed the former Seagulls striker by the throat.
He is also alleged to have taunted Brighton players about their ability and boasted about his salary, with reports claiming that contributed to Guendouzi never playing for the club again.
The Frenchman dismissed that suggestion although he did admit he did not have the best relationship with Arteta.
He told BeIN Sports: “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].
“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 [Arteta].
“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.
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“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.”
Arteta decided to expel Guendouzi, 23, from the squad after that match on the south coast, with Dani Ceballos taking his place and helping the Gunners win the FA Cup.
Joe Willock was also picked ahead of Guendouzi, who likely knew his time at Arsenal was up following the arrival of Thomas Partey.
