Reports this afternoon suggest that Marseille and Arsenal have found an agreement over the transfer of Matteo Guendouzi.
The French side will take the 22 year on loan this summer, paying a €1m loan fee and the player’s wages, before a mandatory €10 purchase next summer.
Arsenal have agreed a deal with Marseille for Matteo Guendouzi, as reported by @MohamedTERParis. Loan with obligation to buy next summer. Arsenal will receive around £10m for the midfielder. Deal could be completed in the next few days. pic.twitter.com/y1GQRpS2Ic
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) July 3, 2021
Guendouzi spent last season on loan with Hertha Berlin, making 24 Bundesliga appearances as they just about avoided relegation.
This summer there was reported interest from Benfica, but Marseille have pursued the France U21 international for some time and beyond that there weren’t any other serious offers for Arsenal to consider.
Guendouzi fell foul of Mikel Arteta last season after a number of disciplinary incidents, including a fight with Sokratis during a warm weather training trip to Dubai, and was dropped from the squad completely during the post-lockdown restart.
When his teammates won the FA Cup at Wembley, beating Chelsea 2-1, he posted a picture of the seaside to let everyone know he was on holidays.
There were some issues during his spell in Germany too, with Hertha Berlin’s manager saying, “It’s like he’s in puberty sometimes.”
Even though the price is lower than some might have expected, it’s seems fair enough given the current market and the lack of clubs actively looking to sign him, and he has still generated a small profit so there’s something.
Official confirmation is expected early next week.
He’ll have the exact same issues there too, and wherever he goes next. It’s such a shame.
It really is. Voice changing, unwelcome public erections, wet dreams. Everywhere he goes.
Are you talking about Mourinho now? Because I can tell you he was never at our club.
Don’t be silly. Mourinho never hit puberty.
He could change with age and maturity.
Van Persie, I learned, was not that likeable at the beginning of his Arsenal career. Maybe Guen is a lot worse but I don’t think he should be written off this quickly and totally!
Van Persie is still unlikeable lol
Van Persie? Is he the guy who got to live his boyhood dream by playing for Man U? I mean that’s nice and everything but what does he have to do with Arsenal?
Good news.
Behind all the noise I don’t think he’s all that as a player.
He’s not as good as HE thinks he is.
While I think it’s a shame the way this whole affair was dealt with, the fact the very most someone was willing to spend on his was sub £10m suggests that he’s actually just not great
Good news. Good luck to him there although I suspect…well we all know.
We have a young defender available as well. Ligue 1 tried and tested. 28 million quid thanks!
Hey Marseille, if you’re really desperate we have a Brazilian guy who’s getting on a bit but every ten games or so he musters an above average pass. Play him often enough you can even get one or two assists per season out of him. He’s free.
Just offer them our top Premier League assister for last season for free. They’ll think it’s Tierney or Saka, when really it’s Willian.
Says more about arsenal than willian. Lets watch where we point our fingers.
A good one to get rid of
Gets Guendouzi with his attitude problems off the books and we don’t lose money. Saliba joining up with his mate at Marseilles tells me he won’t want to come back, so hopefully he plays well and we can sell him for a decent price next year. What a strange set up.
Marseille taking us to the cleaners here, makes you wonder if they’ll get Martinelli thrown in too.
What are you smoking there ?
If Martinelli gets same treatment as Guendouzi….we are coming with pitchforks for Arteta and he knows this too.
It feels more like the lack of smoking something. Pass the blunt, the transfers this summer seem all too familiar (loaning Saliba [again], missing Buendia, overpaying massively for White, selling our players for 50p in the pound, can’t move overpaid washed up players [Willian]).
As Hank Scorpio put it, the most exciting deal[s] that look likely to happen is Lokonga [and Tavares].
Pretty sure you are a spy sent by Mou
“Dear Marseille, Thanks for taking Douzi off our hands at a cut price loan, we couldn’t handle him. Good luck. For being so great here is a year of our wunderkind CB that we would prefer improve French teams like yourself instead of acclimatising to British culture and learning the English language for three years, we’d rather he just feel comfortable. We’ve also got this really important Brasilian player in our squad, and although he’s proven washed up and over the hill and we’ve paid way too much we really can’t move him now so we kinda just gotta play… Read more »
Yea, I thought about that point as well. Of all the speculation about Saliba’s future, for me, the fact that he’s linking up with Guendouzi at Marseille is the most telling. They’ll form a joint identity as the rebel Arteta outcasts. It makes it even less likely we’ll ever see Saliba play for Arsenal. Guendouzi is immature and a bit loco. Saliba is also immature and has been through great personal loss. But they are 21 and what 23? Could those issues not have be mitigated dramatically over the next two years? I’m glad we’re getting our money back for… Read more »
Isn’t David Luiz signing for Marseille as well? He’ll soon knock Saliba and probably Guendouzi into shape.
Yeah it looks like a friendship reunion of some sort. At least the Douzi saga seems to be finally over.
Ten Euros seems a bit short. Barely gets you a pint these days.
I’ll have a pint over Guendouzi any day.
Plus you don’t have to pay Pint any wages
Haha. Was just checking to see if anyone noticed.
It’s actually higher than I expected, I think (for once) we did reasonably well to sell a player in difficult circumstances
Shpuld have sold him when there was hype. Some players have that spark while others we know dont. Stars are like rowe saka martinelli. Squad players are nelson willock. Arteta is a fool
Stupid a fucking stupid comment that doesn’t even warrant a response but here we are.
When was the “hype” – when he was starting every game under Emery and doing ok? we should have sold him then is it? When, January? How much would we have gotten for him? £15m?
I agree, we should all get hindsight pills so that we know when a player with good value is about to go bad and sell him then.
Otherwise just sell all our best players when “the hype” is at its peak – get good money for Tierney, ESR, Saka, Martinelli in case they may go bad and not worry about it.
Arteta has his faults (well documented in my comments elsewhere) but he cannot be blamed for this wannabe rock n roll nutcase. He fucked up his gig and it’s a minor miracle that any club is daft enough to take him on.
This one definitely isn’t on Arteta.
The mistake wasn’t the selling, but there was definitely mistakes made around handling his situation. The reaction to him belittling BHA players was WAY over the top considering our goalie did get mugged in that game, and considering Willian went AWOL (and played like refried dog turd) and got praised at every chance. That’s not to say Douzi isn’t a bit of a headcase and he needs to pull his head in if he’s going to reach even 80% of his potential, but we didn’t succeed in nurturing that talent and we are in danger of going from a reputation… Read more »
No way, can’t say I agree with your assessment that we made mistakes with his handling. He has had many chances to sort out his career trajectory. When a kid acts like a twat, you discipline them, tell them they did wrong. If they have any sort of character, especially as an aspiring elite level athlete, then they learn from it, get their head down and show their worth. This lad has consistently thrown his toys out the pram whenever he’s been rightly reprimanded for acting like a prepubescent prick. Unfortunately for him, he is nowhere near good enough to… Read more »
Sure, but when Willian and xhaka acted like twats they got defended and praised. Douzi, who had huge value got frozen out and cast aside and so we lost up to about 20M in transfer value. And it’s seen as a failed transfer and failed development project across Euro football.
Xhaka had one meltdown and is otherwise the model professional. Ask any of his teammates or coaches.
Guendouzi is a recurring problem. Major difference. They don’t belong in the same comparison.
It all depends on how you discipline people. The ultimate goal is to get a positive response. We don’t know what discussions have been had but Arteta doesn’t strike me as someone who can adapt his approach to different personalities. In that sense I think we could have handled this better even if for no reason other than to protect resale value. In any case, agreed, he could well end up wasting his career if the penny doesn’t drop for him.
IF he behaves, Marseilles have got an absolute bargain there
Don’t worry he won’t…a Leopard never changes its spots. Only up side is that he’s a dad now so he might grow up in real life if not on the pitch.
Still believe it is a wrong move…. Arteta at the end of the day won the battle against the “Ozil brigade”… It will backfire on us at the end of the day.
Well hopefully there’s a generous sell-on clause inserted. So if it backfires, we still get a percentage of his next fee.
Arteta has won fuck all battles against the ‘Ozil Brigade.’
The ‘Ozil Brigade’, meanwhile, have been proved right all along. Without him in the team our creativity was wanting all season and non existent before Christmas.
8th place and our worst league campaign since the mid 70’s.
Battle won, my arse.
Well we heard it here first!
The Ozil brigade? Yeah we should have hung onto them all, a 50m Ozil who in his last 18 months assisted less than William. His bodyguard Kos who played the odd game of football when not on minder duties.
His German Chum Musti the top draw 35m defender. His bodyguard Kos who played the odd game of football when not on minder duties.
Gems
Was Sokratis in the crew, He seemed a nice enough fellow, probably a slightly better defender than Mustafi tbf and only half the price, Bargain!
You mentioned Kos twice. You must really like him.
May I remind you that for at least twelve of those final eighteen months he was ostracised from the team.
A tad difficult to up your assist stats when you’re not even in the fucking team.
He played 11 games for Fenerbahce: 1 assist.
After a year out of the game, I’m not surprised.
What he has or hasn’t done we Fenerbahce doesn’t change the fact that without Mesut Ozil last season, Arsenal were utter shit.
To imply that they wouldn’t have been better had he played is pure speculation. Not fact.
*with
I can’t believe your comment is real.
Won it how? By playing no number 10 for half a season and leaving it to Willian and Ceballos to fill that void? We were just about near the relegation spots. One of the finest examples of hubris you’ll see.
“Mandatory purchase agreement” is all I needed to read from this loan agreement. Shame he couldn’t put his head down and apply himself- he might have learned something.
That Mandatory purchase agreement – what happens if next summer Marseille cry wolf and say they don’t have any money.
U should research the meaning of mandatory
Bit like a mandatory release clause of 40M quid; mandatory until proven otherwise.
😂😂😂. Oh god don’t remind us.
I was wondering about this too. Like if a purchasing club is broke as a joke, I don’t see UEFA mediators forcing them to buy a player. They’d probably just get fined or pay whatever compensation they can afford.
From Super League to 40m + £1 Contractual agreements in football seem like a joke compared to other industries.
Offering more time and space for problematic underperforming seasoned veterans to reach their potential (Willian, Cedric, Xhaka to a degree) than young players who are learning their craft (Nelson, Guendouzi, Saliba) does not seem like a sustainable (or logical) long term strategy.
ESR, Saka, Tierney, Martinelli, Nketiah was given his chances, Willock is returning.
Some work out, some don’t.
I’m a bit surprised by the price, like 11 for him, probably 20 max for bellerin but we’ll get charge 50 for white. How the fuck are we always overpaying and underplayed???
White is English. There’s a 50% added tax on English players.
Can’t wait for AMN to be sold for 40m then.
There is always an “excuse” for the low price from most of the fanbase too.
Martinez for £20m, Xhaka for £20m, Guendouzi for £10m … While not crimes individually, you can’t argue we’re getting the full value of the players we’re selling either.
Hallelujah.
Another useless loser out of the way.
If being a useless loser means securing a steady enough income stream to purchase a home before age 21 and plan for the retirement of my parents + myself? Then I want to be a useless loser too.
It’s not about the amount of money he has made.
It’s about his wasting a potential career at a world famous football club.
The useless bit is about his contributions to the club during that time.
I can’t believe I’m actually having to spell this out for you, but hey ho.
They want Guendouzi and Saliba, there’s a Marseillenal pun in there somewhere.
With Luiz gone, Saliba going on loan, Gabriel Magalhaes going to the Olympics, White – if he signs – will still need ideally 6 weeks holiday, the CB pairing for Brentford looking increasingly like Holding and Mari. We should be fine against Brentford, but then it’s Chelsea the week after.
Let’s ruffle some feathers and hope England lose today so we can get Saka and White some rest and then match-fit for that Chelsea game. An early top-4 six-pointer.
I definitely want England to lose today.
Heh. That’s your day fucked. 4-0 and on we go…
I wanted England to lose, I never said my day depended on it. The outcome was always stacked in their favour. Congratulations on their well deserved victory and let’s hope they lose the next one.
Not English, but I hope England win it with a great Saka contribution in the remaining games. An England vs Italy final would definitely leave Chelsea with more late arivals for the next season than Arsenal, so no prob with that in my opinion.
That’s very selfish and evil of you. I’m an Arsenal fan through and through but I can never wish for England to go out because though I’m not English, I understand how important lifting the Euro trophy is for the English players, fans and everyone else involved.
What do you think Bukayo Saka would think of your “support”?
C’mon man, this is small club mentality. He’s not even in the matchday squad anyway.
I remember when we went crazy seeing Sanchez make Messi cry in the Copa America. The memes it made😁. Or Özil showing Oscar how to be a real playmaker at the World Cup.
Hopefully Saka and the boys win this tournament so we can finally stop hearing that annoying song.
Neither Saka or White played.
And England won. Tough.
Is there a difference between a one-year loan followed by a mandatory purchase and a purchase with payment due next year? Maybe it makes a difference for the two clubs’ books, or their taxes, or something–but as far as I can see, we have sold Guendouzi for €11, with the bulk of that payment due in a year.
Some players, especially troublesome French boys, need the right environment and big brother figures to thrive. Maybe you don’t get that anymore in the highly professional environment of football these days, something Arteta deeply embodies. Sometimes a player just needs Arsene to put an arm around their shoulder and guide them to stardom. Players like RvP or Nasri would never have become elite in today’s Arsenal. Not saying it’s good or bad, just different.
Maybe. And perhaps Guendouzi is just a self-important jerk. He has talent and athleticism enough to succeed in a top league. It’s too bad he has head issues. Arsene was an indulgent father figure to players like Bendtner, but it wasn’t always rewarded with consistently good team play. You make a good point about RvP, though. The point at which I realized Arteta was right about Guendouzi was when I read that Matteo said he was going to “consult with my entourage” about his future. What, he’s a rap star now? He’s just a young, talented midfielder with no impressive… Read more »
‘Matteo said he was going to “consult with my entourage” about his future.’
Well in fairness none of us know what lives in that barnet.
He said that? OMFG he thinks he’s Neymar.
Trouble is that clubs will put up with Neymar being a complete, all-round git with a coterie of arse-licking toadies in tow, because he’s Neymar. Guendouzi isn’t.
My bolding:
https://metro.co.uk/2021/04/04/arsenal-loanee-matteo-guendouzi-branded-a-great-professional-by-hertha-berlin-chief-14356072/
I don’t believe it is an actual entourage. Surely it is just family and his agent. While images of him sitting at a club with his buddies chatting about his next moves would be funny surely he cannot mean an actual entourage as we imagine it.
Yeah good point. Despite Matteo’s stubbornness, it seems like some people have taken the interview way out of context. If the interview is being translated from Guendouzi’s native French, then it would make sense that his representatives are referred to as “entourage”, given that it’s a French word.
Plus I don’t know that many rappers but I’ve never heard any use the word entourage anyway. It just seems like a personality profiling of Matteo.
It never occurred to me that ‘entourage’ didn’t carry the same connotations in France as it does elsewhere, but after looking it up I think you guys are right, and Matteo just meant his family. Thanks.
He’s still a pain in the butt.
I miss William Gallas.
£10 mil is a bit disappointing, but let’s hope there’s a hefty sell on clause in there.
If he could sort his head out he could be a decent player
Willian next please…
Is there a pub side in the land that desperate…..?
Under the circumstances, €11m and losing his wages immediately looks good.
Worst thing about this besides the price is that Saliba joins him and gets similar mentality by that boy effecting him…
Probably going to refuse to prolong with us as well and we will sell cheap and he will become next VVD….
Hopefully he doesn’t corrupt Saliba with his attitude, who can be back next season…
One less saga.
I used to support mikel arteta even though he hasn’t proved himself on higher level…. But i guess i won’t be supporting himself this season unless he turns the tide up.. i think guendouzi is a good player but with some disciplinary prb… Who doesn’t have that problem at such age… I guess with time n some good coaching, we can get the best out of him instead of fully isolating him or selling him for a minimal fee and splash on someone like him for the double price…. This isn’t abt just guendouzi…. We had spend 26-28 million on… Read more »
Fair point even though unpopular. I’m not sure if Matteo may have gotten his act in enough time but it seems like Douzi just wasn’t a project Arteta was willing to take a gamble on regardless. It’s really puzzling that a managerial novice like Arteta has already developed an inflexible and risk-averse mentality. Even more established managers like Fergie knew how to nurture proud guys like Cantona and Cristiano. Laurent Blanc did the same at PSG with Rabiot, and he was even more stubborn than Guendouzi as a youth prospect. The performances we’ve seen from Saka, Tierney and ESR would… Read more »
Can’t remember the last time we moved players on a profit.
Ah we’ve made some big profits in the last few years from Emi Martinez just last summer, Iwobi, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Coquelin, Szezeney, Gibbs, and made millions of profit from a bunch of players sold from our youth team like Kristian Bielik, Sam Greenwood, Dominic Thompson, Robbie Burton, Xavier Amaechi, Jon Toral, Kaylen Hinds.
Exactly my point. The fact you have to go all the way back to Coquelin (almost 4 years ago) just shows we have been abysmal in the transfer market for a good while now. Yes we couped £20M from Emi but the overall consensus is we’re on the losing end. Leno is off next season and Emi is at a perfect age to take over, if he was still here. A solid commendable goalkeeper, POTY at Villa in his debut season, and who is now his country’s number 1. And the “millions” made from youth player sales would most likely… Read more »
Martinez just saying 🙂
Glad we’re getting rid. Not enough space in the dressing room for his ego. He could’ve been a good player but he’s too petulant and full of himself. Shame.
Nice one Arsenal. I’m sure Guendouzi will have plenty of mature opinions to share with Saliba, such as, “William,Arsenal is a great club with a great coach ….and …. “You should knuckle down and give everything to ensure you play for Arsenal in the future”.
If Saliba has his head about him he’ll know better than to take example from Guendoozie.
I don’t know exactly what his issues are, but given he’s the France u21 captain and playing for a top premier League side in his early 20s, with the right loan and a better market reckon he’s worth much more. Oh well, we got something for him and can draw a line. Looked so promising to begin with, shame that he’s a twat.
I hear it all started with a camel in Dubai… Typical Arsenal.
Camel the cigarette?
Or camel the animal?
Probably the best deal that could be got in the circumstances. Realistically there was little chance of him returning to The Emirates and his “reputation” meant we would not get a substantially bigger fee at the end of the new loan period.