There is still a chance that Matteo Guendouzi can continue playing for Arsenal next season as Mikel Arteta confirmed the young midfielder will be given a fresh start. The Frenchman had a falling out with the Gunners boss last season due to attitude issues and was reportedly on his way out of the Emirates.
Twice Guendouzi had earned the ire of Arteta and the last, in which the 21-year-old fought with Brighton's Neal Maupay, saw the player getting player from the club. He is believed mark for selling this summer but the team manager had a change of heart.
The Spanish boss said he believes everybody deserves a second chance, and the same will apply to the troubled Guendouzi on his situation with Arsenal. The young man will start with a clean sheet and will get another shot at a first-team spot.
"He deserves, first of all, to be treated exactly the same and I will do that to my best capability ... I have been really clear that everybody starts from zero all the time in football," Metro reported Arteta as saying.
Also, the coach revealed that he had a recent chat with Guendouzi and the latter was informed he remains a part of the Arsenal roster and that he'll get the same treatment given to the other players.
The manager further stressed that his assessment of the players will focus on the things that they willing to contribute to the club's cause. Arteta made clear that the past no longer matters and going forward, attitude and performance will count the most.
If Guendouzi can prove in training and in actual matches that he is the best player he can be and he's willing to contribute to Arsenal's goals in the upcoming campaign, then he is in, the Gunners boss said.
In giving the midfielder a chance to prove his worth, Arteta pointed to the example of Granit Xhaka, who lost the team captaincy in October last year and was deemed ready to leave Arsenal in January. The Swiss international fought with Arsenal supporters during a match and was dropped from the squad as a disciplinary measure.
But instead of giving up, Xhaka worked to regain the management's trust and Arteta reinstated the player to the first-team status. The manager said Guendouzi can learn a lot from Xhaka's experience.
"He's a really good example for any player that is in a difficult moment that if you are willing, consistent and really want to do it generally, I think there's always a way back," Goal reported Arteta as saying.
He added that if Mesut Ozil plans to continue with Arsenal, then the German can likewise follow Xhaka's lead.
