“It’s true that I didn’t have the best relationship with him” – Ex-Arsenal star breaks silence on what led him to Emirates exit

Former Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi recently revealed that he didn't have the best of relationships with Mikel Arteta.

Guendouzi was an important player for the Gunners under Unai Emery. However, after Mikel Arteta took over at the Emirates, the Frenchman was barely given a chance to flourish by the Spanish instructor.

A loan spell at Hertha Berlin was followed by a permanent transfer to Olympique Marseille last summer. He has made 15 appearances for the Ligue 1 side so far this season, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

In a recent interview with beIN Sports, as reported by Goal France, the 23-year-old opened up on his relationship with Arteta during his stay in north London (via Sport Witness):

“It’s true that I didn’t have the best relationship with him. Beyond that, I always tried to work, always gave the maximum of myself in training and in matches. I still play a few matches with him, I still did great performances."

He further added:

“He preferred other players and I respect that decision. That’s why, afterwards, I also decided to leave because I was still young, I needed playing time to continue to progress. The most important when you’re young is to play.”

Guendouzi made 82 appearances for Arsenal, scoring one goal and providing five assists for the club.

---

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacted to performance levels dropping off during clash against Southampton

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta

Arsenal were held to a draw for the first time this season as their trip to St. Mary's ended in a 1-1 draw against Southampton. The Gunners were the better team during the first half.

However, their performance suffered a significant drop in quality during the second half of the game.

While talking to the media, Arteta said (via arsenal.com):

"I think we stopped doing all the simple things right. The distances on the ball positions were too far, we gave too many simple balls away in very dangerous areas without much pressure and that didn’t allow us much continuity like we had in the first half."

He continued:

"Then you are more tired because the game becomes more open and there are more transitions and you are fatigued."

Arteta further added:

"I think again we finished the game on top of them and we tried to go for the second goal, but we didn’t find a way to do it. It was a consequence of one thing after the other and we didn’t stop it quick enough."