Matteo Guendouzi says he’s determined to enjoy his loan spell with Hertha Berlin and is looking forward to playing regular football again.
The 21-year-old midfielder joined the Bundesliga at the tail-end of the transfer window having been frozen out at Arsenal following a series of behavioural issues.
The Gunners spent much of the summer trying to offload the Frenchman on a permanent basis – he’s thought to have been offered to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to name but a few – but with clubs struggling for liquidity during the pandemic, we ultimately settled on a temporary arrangement with an unlikely suitor.
Facing the press on international duty with France under-21s, Guendouzi explained what he’s hoping to get out of the year.
I just really needed to play this year, a new challenge,” he said.
“That was the most important thing for me. I am still young, I am only 21, so playing time was the top priority for me.
“I know that by going to Hertha Berlin, I’ll be able to really express myself in a great league, so everything is perfect.
“They’re a very good German club, with great ambition, so I’ve gone on loan for a year over there.
“I’m going to give everything for this club. I needed game time, to enjoy myself on the pitch and that’s what I’m going to do this year.”
While Mikel Arteta hinted at the start of the season that the door was still open for Matteo Guendouzi, it seems hard to believe that he’ll be reintegrated into the Arsenal squad when he returns next summer. By that point, he’ll only have a year left on his contract.
It’s maybe a little early for regrets but it is a shame how things have worked out. At the start of last season, there were moments when he genuinely looked like he might have a long career at the Emirates.
We wish him well in Germany; here’s hoping he turns Bayern’s head and they feel compelled to offer us Gnabry in a swap deal.
Just Gnabry? Not Lewandowski as well?
And some cash too maybe?
Had high hope’s for him but obviously something went wrong (listen to the Bendtner podcast to hear another one like that). Cant believe he has a future at Arsenal but hope he plays great in Germany so we either take him back or sell him for a good price.
You should read the book. As an arsenal Fan and a Dane, who thought he was the new Laudrup, it was a really good book. And I highly recommend it because he’s being brutally honest about how he wasted his talent with stupid and immature choices throughout his career.
The podcast is a good start to understanding that. I was behind the goal when he came on and scored in 6 seconds against Sp*rs so could see the talent. He’s still only 32!
Yes, the crazy thing is he’s still just 32. But he finished his career in the danish super league Where he played 6 months – and wow, the old bendtner was just gone! Amazing and sad how quickly he became an average danish striker (which says a lot).
I also heard Balotelli express regrets about his behavior when he was younger. Football is ruthless to players who have attitude problems. This is Ok but they should always get a second chance.
Bendtner got about six or seven chances, and flubbed every single one of them. Apparently it wasn’t until he wasn’t given any more chances that he realized what he had done.
I listened to the interview and every time he spoke I felt like I needed to do something like bow or lay portrait because it is not everyday that the Lord speaks to his humble subjects.
On a serious note I was surprised by how much he seems to love the club and always saying “we” when talking of the Arsenal
It is Arsenal news as he’s still on the books, but I honestly don’t care about Guendouzi anymore.
I do. He’s talented, but so arrogant I wouldn’t be surprised if he went to the only club who would give him the number 8 shirt.
I agree. I don’t care. I know I”m suposed to because arsenal fans is telling me that I should care because they believe that the truth or facts is what confirm their own narrative of the world. It is a sad day for the world and for democracy when people think that their speculations and opinions is truth, only because they have some information that confirm their truth, even though they don’t actually know how and why a decision was made.
At one point I almost thought he would be a great player for Arsenal for years to come. Bad attitude has let him down big time. I hope he has learnt his lesson for the sake of his own good.
I’m sorry but I just didn’t see that kind of talent in him. He’s more mobile than our other cms for sure, but way behind technically and positionally. Average passer, dithery on the ball – too reliant on buying cheap fouls to retain possession as a result, totally lacking ‘penetration’, hopeless at defending, regularly gets caught doing pointless things in areas of the pitch he isn’t creative or skilled enough to be effective in
Maybe he’ll prove me wrong, but he has a lot of things to work on even after he sorts his head out…
Perfectly sums him up. All the talk of “bags of talent” and “world class potential” is rubbish. He didn’t improve 1 bit on or off the pitch in 2 years of play.
Signed as a promising 8m youngster, you would have thought his cheap wages would have been ideal for a French club.
Did we overpay wages again?
Play well, get yourself in the shop window and then leave for at least the £8m we purchased you for!!
Let’s hope so, for their sake. It could be a “win, win” if he gets his act together there and comes back a more rounded human being at peace with the football world. No, I don’t really believe it either, but we’ll see.
I really want to know what exactly happened between him and the manager. I hope he tells us one day
Well, reports suggest that his behavior just wasn’t what is expected. I don’t think we’ll get more than that really.
It’s a pity most of the times we have to wait for a book or after one of them has left the club.
He refused, like Özil, to do the non-negotiables. That’s enough to be frozen out and that’s a good thing. Too long we have let people enjoy their time at Arsenal without getting value from them. Now it’s jump when Mik says jump or f*ck off and I’m very happy about that.
Considering your name, are you a Hertha fan?
About 99.9% of the people in Berlin aren’t giving a shit about Herha. I’m one of them.
Well I hope for Arteta’s sake that he makes top four, having thrown Ozil – and his 350k a week – in the bin.
And if you think I’m exaggerating, a certain section of this forum were crying and losing it when we lost to Liverpool the other week…..?
Understandable. They were trashed 7-2 by Villa. We should have scored at least 10 against them. ?
I’m pretty confident about top 4.
And I wouldn’t rule out that we can stay pretty high up the table until March and then, who knows, we may even have a shot at the title.
I definitely trust the process.
Regards Liverpool, hindsight is a wonderful thing; you’ll note that they lost 7-2 after we had played them, not before.
And if you think Ceballos, Willian and Willock are going to create enough goal scoring chances for a tilt at the title – never mind top four – then all I can say is your local bookies must love you.
And Özil has thrown himself in the bin with his attitude and his unwillingness to do basic stuff on the pitch. No one to blame but him here.
“Unwillingness to do basic stuff on the pitch.”
Oh, the irony. ?
If reports are to be believed he spent games winding opponents up. Not with his skills on the ball, but by mocking how much they were paid and calling them shit. It’s a bad look for Arsenal and worse when we lost those games. Arteta had already given him a chance to improve his attitude and he blew it completely against Brighton. Maupay left one on Leno, no excuse but Guendouzi had been in his ear all game. Gets in a fight but after the game is over. He’s a nasty brat and we are well rid. Just hope he… Read more »
It is a shame because it can be actually be a great skill knowing when and where is the right time to talk sh*t. The best in the game (in ANY sport, even Michael Jordan was a *legendary* trash talker) know how to deploy it and what to say and when. When you’re just some kid who hasn’t done a thing, and you’re saying dumbass stuff about other player’s wages it falls flat and can actually hurt your team. He got told to cut it out and refused and that’s why we’re where we are. If he can grow up… Read more »
And to top it off….Maupay was earning more than him!
For what he did to Leno, Maupay has earned himself three months in a cast. I hope it happens.
Hope he becomes a top 95 percentile player, who can be sold to a decent club and gets a good salary, but doesn’t feature high enough to trouble Arsenal in any competition that the club may play in future.
As mentioned during transfer window, it made ZERO sense and poor management for us to try and simply hawk off Guendouzi. Sure he is impudent and somewhat impatient but he is still a very talented player with great potential for our midfield and under good contract. And with still many question marks in midfield, in the cold light of day, it made sense for us to retain him in some eventual optional capacity. There will be room left for him if he should perform well. Critically : 1) Ceballos has no purchase option negotiated. We do not know if we… Read more »
you’re wrong
Whole transfer window we were trying to offload him…couldn’t even make up the Carabao Cup squad…must be something else than just his footballing skills…when things go down South, beyond a point, it’s best for people/ parties to part ways
#BringbackOzil
End Ozil brutality now.
No, keep writing it.
It’s highly entertaining. In fact, it’s fucking hilarious.
*No let them (the AOB) keep writing it.
#bringbackbrady7. Pointless# Just as likely to grace the midfield again for Arsenal.
He is such a great talent that top teams will be brawling to snap him. Just like they did 3 years ago when he was almost out of contract.
I’m a fan of Özil’s talent but he truly doesn’t fit this team. We should’ve paid him off.
No of course not. Partey as the DM and Ozil as the CM. Who’s going to think of that?
Oh wait…. Arsene Wenger.
Apparently Wenger has advised Arteta that he should still use Ozil in our Premiership games.
Still, what would Arsene Wenger know that the Anti Ozil Brigade on here don’t know, eh…..? ?
I’ll tell you: Wenger can’t manage a competitive environment. He turned Colney into a Spa for the Talented, and indulged Özil.
Özil has only performed anywhere near reasonable levels for Arsène, and fallen foul of everyone else. Yet, even Arsène will admit that he didn’t get the best out of him consistently.
It’s strange , a player of Gnabrys ability………just couldn’t learn the Tony Pulis long throw routine!
To this day I still don’t understand why that loan was sanctioned – I recall that maybe Wenger and Tony Pulis strangely got on well, but I might be misremembering? Who knows what could have been if he’d never been sent to rot on the bench of that goblin’s team.
Wenger hated Pulis.
And let’s face it, he had good reason.
I do hope he does well at least from an Arsenal perspective – Allows the club to potentially get a decent fee next summer, or (considerably less likely) he returns a more complete and mature player who is motivated to kick on at Arsenal. So, good luck to him I suppose.
Fingers AND toes crossed…
That’s the way, Bigs. Antenna on overdrive for us to make a few quid.
I bet that 50m that Kroenke has now added to our debts had you reaching for the smelling salts.
He actually looks happy in that photo and I’m both glad and surprised to say it warms my heart.
All the best with Hertha Berlin, Matteo!
I love the last paragraph.
Me too!
This time next year who knows? Even Elneny found a way back.
Elneny was never a prick
Who cares?? He’s gone and he’s a twat.
Well said.
I find it particularly nauseating that people are hating on Ozil whilst singing the praises of this waster.
TGSTEL.
Yeah, right…….
*Correction.
TGMTEL
This is how a good football story goes: the player has a good year, learns humility on the way, and returns to The Arsenal and has a long productive career here.
I believe that this shall remain fiction. I hope to be proved wrong.