March 02, (THEWILL) – Marseille have confirmed that Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi will join them on a permanent basis this summer.
Guendouzi joined Arsenal in the summer of 2018 and instantly became a fan favourite under Unai Emery, helping the Gunners reach the Europa League final before losing to London rivals Chelsea.
After a strong start to the 2019/2020 season, the young Frenchman fell out of favour following Mikel Arteta’s arrival as manager, and he was kicked out of the first team after an argument with Brighton’s Neal Maupay during Project Restart.
Guendouzi spent the 2020/2021 season on loan at Hertha Berlin before joining Marseille for the 2021/2022 season, with the Ligue 1 club holding an option to purchase Guendouzi.
And Marseille president Pablo Longoria has revealed to RMC Sport that the club will pursue the option of signing Guendouzi on a permanent basis from Arsenal.
The midfielder also explained to the broadcaster why he joined Marseille in the first place and why he is excited to be a part of the project.
Speaking about his decision, Guendouzi said: “It was a carefully considered choice. There were very good discussions with the president, with the coach and people in my family. We really made the best decision all together. For me, it’s the best choice I’ve made in many years.
“President Longoria and coach [Jorge] Sampaoli are the people who introduced me to the project and made me want to come. We talked about Marseille’s project, what I could bring to the team, how I was going to grow.
“I found myself in this speech, I knew that when I came here, I was going to cross levels and continue to grow, whether it was humanly or football wise.”
In June last year, Guendouzi, who had been linked with a move to Marseille after returning from his Hertha Berlin loan, took to Instagram and Twitter to break the news, writing: “Thank you Arsenal.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
