Matteo Guendouzi is set for yet another loan spell away from Arsenal, completing a loan move to Olympique, who have the option to buy him next summer.
Marseille have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal. The Ligue 1 giants have signed the 22-year-old midfielder on loan for the entirety of the 2021/22 season, with the deal also giving them the option to buy him in next summer’s transfer window.
Matteo Guendouzi is returning to where it all began for him. The French midfielder began his club footballing career at senior level with Lorient, having progressed through the ranks at the Ligue 1 outfit after having left Paris Saint-Germain in 2014. His big break came in the summer of 2018, when he completed a transfer to Arsenal.
The switch to the Emirates initially paid dividends, with the youngster shining under the tutelage of Unai Emery. The player’s career at Arsenal, though, started heading downhill after a slew of issues, ranging from a run-in with Mikel Arteta to having a tussle with Neal Maupay in a Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion last in the 2019/20 season.
The 22-year-old’s attitude issues prompted Arsenal to loan him out to Hertha Berlin last summer, where he enjoyed a solid campaign even though the German club could only manage a lower mid-table finish. Guendouzi, though, amassed 24 Bundesliga appearances, with two goals and three assists to show for his efforts.
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╰▕▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▏╯pic.twitter.com/WTF2M4oLkY— Olympique de Marseille ?? ?? (@OM_English) July 6, 2021
Back at Arsenal after the season-long loan deal, it quickly became clear that there was no “water under the bridge” situation at the club, with the north Londoners immediately making him available for a summer transfer.
Several clubs were subsequently linked with Guendouzi, with Marseille emerging as the leaders in his pursuit in the past fortnight or so. And the Ligue 1 heavyweights have now prevailed in the race to sign him from Arsenal, with the player completing a season-long loan move for a second summer transfer window in a row.
Marseille, who have already been quite busy in the transfer market and now have quite a beefed up midfield unit, also have the option to make his signing permanent next summer and it will be interesting to see if they exercise this option at the end of the season. For now, Guendouzi is set for another temporary spell away from Arsenal and it remains to be seen if he can impress again in the upcoming season.
