The French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has just posted an emotional farewell to Gooners on his Twitter account, and says he was always only fighting to “defend with pride” the Arsenal colours.
It has been reported that he is leaving the Gunners to join Marseille, and possibly play alongside William Saliba, who is expected to be on loan at OM in the next campaign, but now Matteo has confirmed himself that he has now departed from Arsenal.
This is what he said…
I will never forget the Emirates Stadium. I will never forget the fans. I won’t forget the city. I will never forget everything I’ve been through here. I will never forget that my only will was to defend with pride Arsenal colors.
Thanks to all of those who believed in me during my time here, during the good and the bad moments. I can only wish the best to the club and its fans who deserve so much, trust me ! Good bye Arsenal, I will never forget and will be a gooner forever.
Despite his well-publicised dispute with Mikel Arteta, he only recently had an interview with Bild, and again he made it very clear that he has always loved Arsenal and always will do. Guendouzi said: “As a kid, I always dreamed of playing for Arsenal and I was incredibly lucky to get there early in my career. In my eyes, this club is a myth and I always have the great times of the era Arsène Wenger (coach of the Gunners from 1996 to 2008) in my head, I’m still a fan of all the extraordinary players, especially the French.
“To see that the club failed to qualify for a European competition for the first time in 25 years hurts deeply. That takes a lot of emotions to me. Arsenal are a big club in Europe that deserve to be in the Champions League every year. That’s normal for me, an institution like this deserves only the best.
“Arsenal must return to where it belongs. I don’t know the reasons for the failure because I wasn’t there last season. But I’m concerned about the club’s situation because Arsenal deserve great things. I am a Gunner from the bottom of my heart and will remain so, no matter what.”
Well, he has now left the club he loves so much, so whatever our personal opinions about his wayward personality, as fellow fans we can only wish him well at his new club….
Good luck, Matteo!
I just saw a clip of Jeremy Doku. Why is no one talking about him? We should go after the guy, he is a beast!
If we buy Doku or Sterling, one of our LWs must be sold. Aubameyang and Willian are almost unsellable, so we must choose between Martinelli and Nelson for Doku or Sterling
Personally I think what a waste but if he doesnt fit the managers criteria which is probably more down to attitude and team member because we have seen the talent then good riddance and we can now all move on
Out with the old in with the new
Onwards and upwards
Goodbye Matteo, go well and prosper in the next club.
If he can improve his speed, he’ll be a very good DM. He has good skills, so he just needs to train harder like Bennacer
Goodbeye Guendouzi yes you are right we deserve so much and we deserve better. Now for Granit to leave also so that only Leno will remain as a scapegoat.
Don’t forget Aubameyang, HH!
I didn’t think of him lol but I think he still has something to offer. They better not try though as all they will get back is that great smile of his, showing off his expensive cars and 350k in the bank every week.
Now that the Wenger debris is over and the dressing room troublemakers are gone I wish again for the days where I would be looking forward to Arsenal games and have my most enjoyable 90 minutes of the week.
I am not putting my money on it with Pennywise still in charge but one can only wish.
I don’t want Auba going anywhere, of course he still has something to offer!
People on here love a scapegoat and I lost count of how many there were last season…God help Auba if he has another goal drought (all of 5 games!!) next season!
And now Guendouzi has gone, there’s a vacancy to be filled… on here 😆
I haven’t heard of Kolasinac for a while is he still with us? If he is that position is his by default 😂😂😂
I hope you’re right about Auba Sue, personally I think we have seen the best of him already, he seems to have lost a bit of pace, his main asset. I hope I’m wrong though because it’s going to be a costly experience if I’m not. Him and Willian alone are costing us a reported £500k + per week with 2 years left on their contracts.
My thoughts exactly Andrew.
Not often I disagree with Sue, let’s hope she’s right and we are wrong.
HH 🤣 Doubt the chosen few will let it go – with regards to Guendouzi! A year later they’ll still be harping on 🤣
You’re right, Andrew, it is an extortionate amount he’s being paid but I have faith in him! As for Willian, not a great deal I can say 🤪
Ken.. As of July 19 – full capacity!!
Buzzing! We can get back there and chant ‘Aubameyang’ 😉 Can’t bloody wait….
👍👍👍 Sue cannot wait to see The Emirates rocking – it was sooooo depressing against Brighton – But the club must be congratulated for the way they treated the coronavirus situation 10/10.
Well said HH, one by one each and every player in team will be made into Scape goat but fingers will never be pointed to manager by some fans who have just closed their eyes all in the name of stubborness.
I am all for different of opinions but when someone say he wish fans will be allowed back in the stadium so they can sing the name of the coach and show their appreciation (for what exactly?) I think it is time to take a break and be more of a reader like the good old days because I feel mocked.
I’m with sue
There is no way that he is going anyway and he had personally issues through last season so let’s hope we can get the best out of him this time ,also Arteta smothered our offence and no one really stood out apart from saka on the attacking front .
Sue and Dan, I am with you on Aubameyang. Last season he had personal issues, malaria and lack of service.
Upgrade the midfield with a partner for Thomas Partey to provide transition from defense to attack and an ACM to take the pressure off ESR and Arsenal will see the best from Aubameyang, Saka, Pepe, Lacazette, Martinelli and Balogun.
Put the ball into space in front of Aubameyang with him positioned off the shoulder of the last defender and his class will shine through.
Best wishes Matteo.
One of the most overrated players I’ve ever seen play for us. There was a time when even many here said they would reject a 60m bid from PSG for him. That makes me ask whether we truly judge players from the eye test. People criticize him for his attitude but I don’t think he was ever as talented as many made him out to be.
Anyways just as a reminder Smith-Rowe has signed a new deal at 65k per week including bonuses for 5 years. Apart from Lokonga being a done deal Arsenal are also looking at his teammate teammate Yari Verschaeren.
Considering he came from the french second division, was extremely young and inexperienced, and was in a foreign league, considered one of the most intense leagues in the world, what were you expecting?
He hit the ground running, wasn’t afraid to ask for the ball, never dropped his head, and seemed to adapt well (in my opinion).
Not sure what your eyes were focusing on? Yes he held on to the ball too long, yes he made some rash challenges and had moments where his concentration, and passing was lacking or risky, can’t argue with that. Expecting a kid to be flawless whilst still adapting to the league, his teammates, the role expecting from him, and everything else that goes on behind the scenes, is a little bit unfair.
Experienced midfielders like Veron have moved to the PL and looked hopeless.
A certain Viera had his problems if I remember correctly. I think there’s a player in Guendouzi. Whether he has the smarts to develop himself is a personal matter, and not down to inherent talent.
Time will tell if he comes good.
I never expected him to be flawless. In fact when I watched him I realized his passing was good but he was lacking in so many departments that I never saw what the hype was about. He did produce some moments of quality but all in all I never saw him ever reaching that high level. He may have attitude problems but for me his talent is in question.
👍 TG
Dude I’m not a big fan of Douzi but he was wort the hype that year. He was the only midfielder who stood out among the senior midfielders and he was a kid!
So sorry fans believed in him and rated him highly.
Ain’t you the one who once upon a time was arguing with me here that Nelson was a better starlet than Saka and can become better than Saka?
Douzi was worth the hype back then. End of story
He was never ever worth the hype and yes I still stand by my opinion that Nelson is a more naturally talented player than Saka but there are various contexts as to why he is in this situation right now. I never saw Guendouzi to be as good as as y’all made him out to be. He did provide some moments of quality but all round he never looked to be good enough and from the eye test he was not as special as many made him out to be. Reine-Adelaide who was sold by Emery looked better from the eye test and had even less hype. The good thing is I said this all at the time when according to some of you he looked so impressive so its not even hindsight. Bennacer, Josh Da Silva and Reine-Adelaide are all bigger midfield talents that Arsenal have lost.
Where is Reine-Adelaide today and how many teams are lining up to have him? Where is Josh Da Silva?
Lmao, still a natural talented player than Saka, and he couldn’t even make it out on loan. Dude are you even listening to yourself?
Still insist Nelson is the more talented between the two.
Nahh I can’t deal
Of course I still insist Nelson is more talented of the two. Reine-Adelaide and Josh Da Silva are both better than Guendouzi. Josh Da Silva is a starter for Brentford and is now in the EPL whiles Reine-Adelaide is with Lyon. You see thats the problem you are judging them from the clubs they play than from their actually ability. Same thing with Locateli vs Bissouma. If we go by the eye test Bissouma is superior to Locatelli in most aspects except range of passing. Locateli has this Euro hype as well as being a an upgrade and a like for like replacement with Xhaka . That all adds to his hype while Bissouma is with boring Brighton and is already more known comapred to Locatelli.
We will see kev
You are wrong kev, boy is talented and has leadership qualities. That is why when he was at club and we were struggling he stood up to take the responsibility. He showed real character and maturity. You don’t become captain of french under 21 if you don’t posses certain skill set specially when you think of all the talent french have at their disposal at that age group as well.
He was never that good to me man even when he first came in. He was overhyped and maybe still is from how people defend him. His attitude may be poor but he doesn’t have the world class talent many made it seem like he had. Niles throughout all those years would’ve been a better pick. He would’ve made mistakes too but by this time would’ve been a far superior player
@Kev I don’t know how to say this politely. I think you need an eye test…
If you watch Guendozie and think he’s that bad, then you are the problem
Need I say, he did not even need the excuse of “he needs time to adapt.”
Super talents don’t need that excuse (Sanchez, Cazola, Rosisky, Auba, etc)
Kev, with you 100% regarding the overhyping of the player – we either love ’em or hate’ em as a fanbase it seems.
I wish him well and I hope he can find a place for more humility in his life.
Echo that Grandad
He might then prove himself
Class from Guendouzi.
A shame his obvious talent wasn’t harnessed, and developed by a fitting mentor.
I can’t help but think, that had Wenger got his hands on him, a midfield monster could have been created.
Talk of him becoming a future captain, boundless energy, and fearless style, impressed upon arrival.
Good luck to him, hopefully he’ll mature and fulfill his potential.
👍 Spot on, TommyGun
Well said Tommy, Could not have put it better myself 👍
SO he is a real Gooner eh? Not in my book and I’ll give you just ONE REASON why he is not! He wishes all the players well but ESPECIALLY the French ! WHY ONLY THE FRENCH, ESPECIALLY THEN?
In my book, he a spoilt child in attitude and bombast but in a mans body. I wish his future well andhope he eventually grows up, but am very pleased that it will be elsewhere. Not my sort of human being at all, I regret to have to truthfully say!
They no doubt helped him adapt to new surroundings, and reduced his fear being a young lad at a big club.
If I moved abroad, and there were English guys there, I expect they would be in line for more thanks too. Sure it’s nothing personal, just being honest about who did what for him and his family.
Put yourself in his shoes.
Jon in your haste to post your comment you misunderstood that’s not what he said he was talking about his admiration for all past/great players of the club but more so the French ones which is only natural most French people discovered Arsenal and became fans through Wenger and players like Henry Viera….like Saliba as a kid he used to watch YouTube videos of them playing for Arsenal.
Siamois NO, NO HASTE AT ALL . JUST SIMPLE WELL CONSIDERED TRUTH AS EVER.
I did not misunderstand at all and that is only your personal opinion. This unpleasant immature man has proven to be a trouble maker, , even when loaned out and I am thankful- even if you are not- that he is leaving us.
I am mature enough to KNOW that bad eggs like him are harmful to the club I love and hope you may grow, in time, to realise this truth yourself.
No it’s not my opinion but a fact here is what he said”In my eyes, this club is a myth and I always have the great times of the era Arsène Wenger (coach of the Gunners from 1996 to 2008) in my head, I’m still a fan of all the extraordinary players, especially the French”where did he wish good luck only to the French players?
Siamois, It is difficult to seriously discuss seriously with someone whose grasp of thr true meaningh of “myth” is so utterly wrong .
A”MYTH” is something that has two distinct meanings. Firstly, a traditional story usually involving supernatural beings. Secondly, a fallacy or something not true.
Neither of those meanings are remotely near the way that both Guendouzi and yourself used the word, so incorrectly.
I will not apologise for having an excellent English education, though I sympathise with both you and Guendouzi, who clearly have not my own language skills.
@Jon You need a total renewing of your mind.
Too much anger and judgement.
Stephen , What I DO have is a hunger for truth and forcombatting clearly wrong statements by certain fans who do not share my yen for truth.
So Guendouzi for £10m and loaning Saliba to them as well. Surely we have someone coming oue way too? And it has to be Boubacar Kamara?
That’s the only way they would pay 10M for MG if we included Saliba to sweeten the deal!
When I saw the whole comment. It look to me as if he was taking a dig at some persons. The club were out of cl when he arrived and it’s not been better since, talking about club position last season because he wasn’t involved has different meaning IMO, I wish him well and hope he grow up soon
Farewell and thanks for the memories! ❤
Guendouzi in the hands of the right manager will IMO develope Guendouzi to a high quality midfielder. A player with huge potential, and who I rate very highly.
Good luck.
👍
It s entirely possible for that to happen
What he didn’t show was sufficient maturity when at Arsenal and that cost him. Saka and ESR are the opposite and equally young and they are in the Arsenal first team.
You are wrong SueP, Saka is a wonderful player but not a leader he sticks to his performance only and is not the kind of person who will question when it comes to overall team direction or team struggle same goes for ESR. That is why both are in Arsenal team. If any one of them question Arteta and hurt his ego you will see the same treatment dish out to them as well. Plus it’s not like being in an Arsenal team who finished in league where we did and out of Europe is evidence of being good player or achievement. You are making playing in this Arsenal team to be some sort of legendary status 😂
Thanks for your message telling me that I am so wrong. Your opinion of course and it’s mine that you’re wrong. Cheers Logic
Websurfer same thoughts as mine 👍
Now that he is gone he has the opportunity to develop into the ‘high quality’ midfielder
Not good enough right from the off!!! Not even close to average.
Torreira as well.
Very very poor recruitment.
Club paying heavily for poor recruitment.
Spot on Herbz.Neither distinguished themselves under two different Managers last season, so Arteta is not the only weak link.
If you’re still marveling at that, then see this;
SOUMARE — £17m
LOKONGA — £17m
Absolute madness from the recruitment team!!!!
Saddened to see him go. Players that actually love the club and want to be here. Looking at Saliba another lifelong gunner… Young French players must be looking at our club and kissing their teeth right about now. The nostalgia of growing up with a Wenger in the dugout and the likes of Vieira and Henry in the red and white must be fading fast.
Wish them both all the best and hope to see them realise their potential.
It is a big and costly mistake to let him go, especially when Xhaka is also leaving. He could be a great back up or even challenge for the starting eleven..
With both midfielders gone, Arsenal need to go for a world class CM to justify letting both of them go, improving our overall squad.
Good luck to you Guendouzi will miss you, you should have stayed, we were always far better with you playing
Our loss., seems as though some of our best are going
As far as I know, Guendouzi grabbed someone by the throat and said he earned more money than him. A rash and boastful occurrence no doubt, but not enough to be completely blanked by the club. There has to be something else perhaps he was one of the infamous three who refused a 12.5% paycut? We are passing judgement on a teenager without fully knowing the facts involved except for what is regurgitated by the media. For me on the many occasions I saw him he was a breath of fresh air, always gave 100% but certainly not the finished article. With good and strict coaching and the odd arm around him he could develop into a very good player. I wish him well in his future career as I’m sure a lot of Arsenal supporters do.
Spot on, Andrew 👍
Andrew,
Do you actually know that Arteta didn’t provide the things that you are actually claiming?
It didn’t work for him at Arsenal so he has gone and I certainly wish him well. By reading the comments there are a variety of opinions ranging from good to not so good so MG could not please everyone. I’m guessing Hertha Berlin only needed cover for the season and didn’t want an option to buy.
SueP, the point I was trying to get across was that the Brighton incident alone was insufficient to ban him from playing for the team from then on. Anything else I posted were not claims merely my opinion and I did not mention Arteta once, only referred to the club’s decision which I assume is collective on a subject like this.
I noticed earlier you defended using your own opinion when someone said you were wrong.
doesn’t the same apply to me?
Absolutely right Andrew and I always read your posts with respect because you write thoughtfully
Arteta comes in for a lot of flak – some of it deserved but I did think that as MG had by all accounts misbehaved and not apologised to the manager that he wasn’t doing himself any favours
I’m sure that if he values his career MG will learn from his experience at Arsenal
He should have apologised Sue P, a more mature player would probably have done so. The hubris of youth? Anyway falling out with MA certainly hasn’t helped his career but he now has a chance to redeem himself back in his homeland and I wish him well.
All managers get flak from supporters some more than others depending on results. It is a thankless job but a well paid one (especially in the EPL) ask Jose!!
When MA joined us in December 2019 I posted that he would need one whole season before being judged, on reflection, perhaps the end of this year would be fairer considering the crazy year we’ve had.
Exactly Andrew, i hope we dont regret letting him go the way we have. Gouendouzi was a failure by our management, they were the only ones to ostracise him, he never caused any other team problems, including being captain recently for the U21s. Good luck to the kid, he is talented but Arsenal will not be using that talent.
Reggie, it will probably happen again it seems to be in our DNA. The two that still haunt me are Ashley Cole (our best ever Academy graduate imo) and Robin Van Persie to Chelsea and Man U respectively, our two biggest EPL rivals!!
Good luck Guendo! Shame you didnt have a productive time at Arsenal. Wish you all the best for your future👍
Am I the only one who rated him and Torreirra highly? With Xhaka almost likely gone, our best CM duo is now Partey-Elneny..
Guendouzi could have challenged for starting eleven regardless who our new signing is. Such a waste. If Arteta handled him properly, this guy could have become a true gunners playing for us for the next 5-10 years..
Arsene Wenger would never usher such potential players to leave. The only way Guendouzi would leave is when big clubs lure him in..
This is the big difference between Arteta and Wenger.. There bounds to be conflict and stuff when you are handling young players. Wenger definitely encountered difficult players as well, with Song, Nasri, Bentner comes to mind. To witness someone like Guendouzi pushed out of the club is beyond belief. Disgraceful.
Mr. Guendouzi appears to be a bad person, interested only in his opinion of himself. His self-serving “farewell” message made me gag.
I wondered why Mr. Arteta took such drastic steps against him after what were reported to be only a couple of incidents. I think I understand now: Guendouzi is a cancer who would prevent unity in the side.
Arteta said when he was hired that his concept was that every player had to be committed to his approach. Maybe Guendouzi could work in a club that lives with constant conflict among the players and between players and coach, but that is not how Arteta is going to run things.
I for one think Arteta’s is the best approach, the approach that creates synergy to get the most out of players and team, and that will serve the club best in the long run. But it can take a while to get the right kind of players in place. And we will see some players who leave going on to success elsewhere. But that is normal for all clubs.
Remember: over the latter two-thirds of last season, Arsenal had a record second only to Man City’s. If they can start this coming season at a similar level, the future looks bright.
Guys who ever expects any good from Arteta am very sorry for you, it’s never going to come. To those on MG the fact is for the time he has been at the club his been our best by far, rating him at $60m yes he was worth it, about his loan spell he had a lot of issues on mind and he had no intention to stay with Hertha Berlin beyond that. The fact is even arteta could play him given he didn’t like him at all, that tells you his class at the given his age. All the best MG..