Matteo Guendouzi will be wrapping up his loan spell with Hertha BSC soon and return to Emirates Stadium. The French player is coming off a good stint with Die Alte Dame but a hefty £29million ($39 million) bounty to keep him at Olympiastadion has forced the club to explore other options.
Guendouzi showed true to his word of accepting the new challenge with Hertha. If not for the hefty bill, the 21-year-old was someone that head coach Bruno Labbadia would have kept, Bild reported.
'[Matteo] is very, very valuable to us. We are happy that we were able to sign him,” Labbadia said. “He's a very, very good footballer, who has a good sense of space and is technically very strong.”
Hertha Berlin unlikely to sign Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal permanently as they 'can't afford £29m asking price' https://t.co/4oil6ZKdFA — MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) January 11, 2021
It was a big turnaround for the midfielder who proved that he could be a force on the field if given the right playing time. Guendouzi ended up getting left out of Mike Arteta’s mix following a controversial altercation with Neal Maupay of Brighton.
At the time, Guendouzi jawed with Maupay and boasted about salaries. Arteta was livid at the whole thing and said that it was not the culture he was trying to preach with the Gunners. Guendouzi never saw action for Arsenal since then, only getting to do so with “The Old Lady.”
With Hertha passing on permanently getting Guendouzi, the French midfielder awaits what lies ahead at Emirates Stadium. There is a possibility he may be loaned out once more unless Arteta is convinced that the 21-year-old has learned his lesson.
Arteta previously said that he wants Guendouzi to shape up and follow the lead of another former controversial player in Granit Xhaka. The Swiss player lost the captaincy but transformed himself, now becoming a key piece for the Gunners.
Given that Guendouzi was able to show he could focus on the game and help Hertha, Arteta could use that to evaluate the Frenchman’s status. Arsenal could use someone like him right now but on the premise that he will align with the Gunners’ vision.
Considering there was no option to buy in the loan deal with Hertha, the stint was a means to see Guendouzi get his act together. He may have cooled off and matured a bit, things that Arteta wanted in the first place.
It would be interesting if Guendouzi and Arteta sit down and discuss the French football player’s future. If both are unable to agree, the 21-year-old could be out on loan once more until he proves he has manned up.
