Newsletter

Chelsea teaches Mikel Arteta and Arsenal a valuable relationship lesson with Matteo Guendouzi

The future is shrouded in uncertainty for Matteo Guendouzi. The young Frenchman, a player of such promising and obvious talent, may not stay at Arsenal for much longer.

There was no room for the 21-year-old on Mikel Arteta’s team in Southampton on Thursday, possibly as a direct result of the accident between him and the Brighton and Hove Albion players during the club’s previous game.

There have been suggestions in France that Guendouzi is happy to leave Arsenal and advance his career elsewhere. He has started 19 Premier League games this season, which suggests that the Gunners consider him a player and one who is still developing, maturing and improving.

Arteta, however, appears to have had a difficult relationship with the midfielder since taking over from Unai Emery in December. Guendouzi was not always regular under Spanish and the two had a disagreement during a training camp in Dubai in February.

“Whatever internal problems we have, we will face them privately and I will never make anyone of that audience” Arteta said to the question about Guendouzi after the victory in Southampton.

Video upload

Video not available

“All the players who are here, I count on them. If they want to jump on the boat they are more than welcome and this is always my mentality. I am here to help all of them improve individually and collectively. This is my job. “

There is clearly a bit and a bitterness about Guendouzi, although it is not necessarily a bad thing. His attitude has been questioned in Brighton, but many Arsenal fans have responded positively to his combativeness. The club has long been accused of having no courage; Guendouzi, although he has exceeded the limit on this occasion, leaves nothing on the pitch.

And there is also no doubt about its potential. He would not have been in contact with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain if he had not been among the most promising young players in the Premier League.

It may be that he sees his future in one of these clubs, which most Arsenal fans will now admit that he has more attraction power. The Gunners, as things stand, will not play in European competitions next season and look a lot like a club that needs a transition period.

football.london/incoming/article18095943.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/0_GettyImages-1211001709.jpg"/>

Why should you sign up?

In every football.london Arsenal bulletin, we will provide you with the latest news, transfer features and comments, as well as key discussion points for fans.

We will also send you special newsletters when the big stories break or there is a special event going on.

How do you sign up?

It’s easy and only takes a few seconds.

Simply type your email address in the box at the top of this article – or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact – labeled ‘Get the greatest daily stories by email’ and click ‘Subscribe’ .

And that’s all, you’re ready.

If you later decide you no longer want to receive emails, simply follow the link to unsubscribe from one of the newsletters, but we don’t think you will.

For more details click here.

Guendouzi’s ambitions could extend beyond the Emirates and, in that case, Arsenal can do little. If it’s possible to patch things up, reconcile, this would probably be the preferable option.

Arsenal will not want to be in a position similar to that of Kevin De Bruyne’s Chelsea management, for example. The Belgian was, like Guendouzi, a young midfielder with many suitors who felt they were not being properly evaluated in his club.

There are differences, of course, but the principles remain the same: Arsenal will not want to agree on something that works in the short term, but that damages them in the long term. And now the club is in a position where getting the right things in the coming years is essential.

It is undoubtedly a delicate situation to manage. But Guendouzi is a gifted player, with the kind of grit and advantage that Arsenal has been deprived of for so long. If they manage to refocus him, get him to tone down the more problematic aspects of his game, the Gunners may be able to look back on this saga and laugh.

.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending