The Ligue 1 club have exercised their option to buy the France international following his successful loan spell at Stade Velodrome
Arsenal have confirmed the permanent departure of Matteo Guendouzi, with the midfielder completing a €10.5m (£9m) move to Marseille.
Guendouzi was loaned out to Stade Vélodrome in July 2021 after falling out of favor at Arsenal, and has managed to return to his best form in his native country.
The France international registered five goals and 14 assists in 55 appearances for Jorge Sampaoli’s side last season, helping them finish second in Ligue 1 and reach the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
How much are Marseille paying to sign Guendouzi?
Marseille paid a little more 11 million euros for Guendouzi, including the €850,000 loan fee they prepaid for his services last summer.
The 23-year-old has committed to a three-year deal at Stade Velodrome which will see him stay at the club until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Arsenal’s view of Guendouzi’s exit
Goals Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts: “It all started so well at Arsenal for Guendouzi. I remember sitting at the National Stadium in Singapore watching him announce himself in sensational style on his debut against Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2018.
“He had arrived as a relatively unknown teenager from Lorient, but was dominating the midfield battle against Diego Simeone’s side. That’s how things went for Guendouzi during the first part of his career at Arsenal He was a key man under Unai Emery, but that all changed once Mikel Arteta arrived.
“Everyone points to the incident with Neal Maupay at Brighton as the moment that marked the end of his career at Arsenal, but it wasn’t just that spat after full time; that’s how it turned out. passed in the days that followed for Guendouzi, in north London.
“Arteta and the club hierarchy were far from happy with his manner during internal disciplinary talks, and it all came following the disagreement between Guendouzi and Arteta during a training camp in Dubai which saw the midfielder ruled out of a game against Newcastle in February 2020.
“There was clearly just a clash of personalities between the player and the manager and there will only ever be one winner in this situation – unless the player is something really special.
“While Guendouzi is certainly a talent, as he has shown with Marseille, he is not the type of player a club will side with as a coach. So this decision suits all parties, although fans will rightly think they could have had a much higher fee for the France international.
“Arsenal will just be happy that Guendouzi is gone, however, and that everyone can now move on after a transfer that started well, but fell apart into a nasty mess.”
Who could follow Guendouzi on Arsenal’s outings?
Guendouzi won’t be the only man through the exits of Emirates Stadium this summer as Mikel Arteta looks to clear the deadwood and move on to the next phase of his long-term project.
Arsenal are in talks with Fiorentina over the final sale of Lucas Torreirawho spent the 2021-22 campaign on loan at the Artemio Franchi stadium, and hopes to complete a deal in the coming weeks.
Hector Bellerin was also loaned out last season, with the full-back picking up a Copa del Rey winners’ medal at Real Betis, and he is eager to return for the 2022-23 campaign.
The Gunners are keen to sell Bellerin but his wages are proving a sticking point for Betis, while the north London club have also placed Pablo Mari and Ainsley Maitland Niles on the transfer list.
Arsenal are also ready to leave the substitute goalkeeper Bernd Leno and club record signing Nicolas Pepe leave if they receive suitable offers for the pair.
Who are Arsenal trying to sign this summer?
A few new faces will also be expected at Arsenal ahead of the new season, with that of Leicester Youri Tielemans and the Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus currently high on the club’s wish list.
The Gunners have held talks with representatives for both players and are optimistic the deals will be finalized before the summer window closes.
Jesus’s City team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko is also on Arsenal’s radar, along with Napoli leader Victor Osimhen.
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