Falling out with Mikel Arteta and sent away on loan to Hertha BSC last year, Mattéo Guendouzi returned to Arsenal in the summer and needed a plan going forward.
He wasn’t going to be a regular at Arsenal, since his relationship with their manager wouldn’t allow that, so the option of heading back to France, where Marseille were happily waiting for him, emerged.
The Ligue 1 side signed him on a loan deal, which many expect to be made permanent come the end of the season as the midfielder has become one of their key players thanks to his performances and win-or-nothing attitude.
It mirrors that of his manager, Jorge Sampaoli, and the player sat down with TF1 for an interview that will fully air on Sunday to discuss his first few months in the south of France.
A snippet of the conversation was shared on social media as promotion, and in there was a revelation from the player suggesting he has very little desire to return to Arsenal.
"Signer à l'OM est le meilleur choix que j'ai pu faire depuis longtemps"
Son amour pour Marseille, la ferveur phocéenne, l'objectif LDC, sa première chez les Bleus : avant le choc face à Lyon, @MatteoGuendouzi a accordé un entretien exclusif à @JulienMaynard
RDV dimanche, 11h ! pic.twitter.com/Tij0BvWJ7q
— Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) November 19, 2021
He said: “From the first conversation I had with Sampaoli and the president, Longoria, I knew this was the club that was made for me. I knew it was this club, this project, and I think it’s the best choice I could have made in a long time”.
Guendouzi then went on to talk about the more collective goals, clearly saying: “I know that if continue this way, we’re going to be able to do very nice things and I’m fully confident, I know that we’ll qualify for the Champions League next season”.
Those aren’t the words of someone who sees himself at the Emirates next season, and it’s becoming more and more apparent that this could very well be his final season being contracted to Arsenal.