Over the course of the January transfer window, there were a number of reports about Unai Emery wanting to sign Mattéo Guendouzi at Aston Villa.
The two knew each other from their time at Arsenal together, and with the midfielder playing extremely well in the south of France since his arrival, on loan and then made permanent, a return to the Premier League was mooted.
However, despite claims of persistent interest from Emery and Aston Villa, the France international stayed at Marseille to at least finish the season.
After all, they are well on their way to qualifying for the Champions League once more, and it seems that, as appealing as a switch to Villa Park was, it wasn’t the right time for the player.
This is what journalist Mathieu Grégoire said, relayed by MSN, who also made it clear that Aston Villa would have a far better chance of getting their man this summer.
He explained: “The Guendouzi clan, the player and OM all are clearly planning an exist this summer. In the sense that it’s a career plan. He arrived in the summer of 2021 to get himself back on track at OM. He’s then become an important player. His second season is far less linear but it’s good. There was the interest of Aston Villa this winter, but it wasn’t the right time.
“They are hoping for a club of another standing. They didn’t reach the offer stage because the player was asking to wait until the summer. Guendouzi spoke to Emery on the phone. He received a very nice contract offer from Aston Villa, but he didn’t want to exit through the back door in the January window. He’d rather leave this summer, and at Marseille, they think he will be one of the very nice sales this summer.”
