Hertha Berlin sports director Arne Friedrich has revealed what Arsenal chief Per Mertesacker told him about Matteo Guendouzi before the Frenchman’s move to the Bundesliga side.
Guendouzi joined the Germans on loan in the summer, having been frozen out under Mikel Arteta at the end of last season.
That came after an infamous bust-up with Brighton’s Neal Maupay after the season restarted, an incident which angered Arteta and it’s believed caused several issues behind the scenes.
From that point, Guendouzi was moved down the pecking order, with Arsenal electing to send him out on loan at the end of the window having failed to sell him permanently.
If impressions are anything to go by there are few fans left for him at his Arsenal, although it seems Mertesacker may be one of them.
“He’s a fantastic player,” Friedrich told transfermarkt.de.
“Before the transfer, I also spoke to Per Mertesacker with whom I played in the national team.
“He told me Matteo is a quality player. This is exactly what Matteo showed from day one.
“He sat in the hotel for two weeks in a new town, but he was very professional. We got him an exercise bike so he could work out.
“Now he shows every day what a good player he is. He is very calm and wants every ball, even under pressure.
“He has this understanding of how to win games, and he has an intrinsic motivation to show the world that he is a good player.”
