Guendouzi, a mess for Arteta

Having too much ego in the world of football is a double-edged sword. If you're Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourinho or Ibrahimovic all your sins are forgiven. They have gained so much with their character that their self-esteem is valued as a quality that makes them better than the rest. But for that you have to be very good, excessively good. That may have been the problem with Matteo Guendouzi (Poissy, France, 1999) in the Arsenal. Be good, but not so good. Chosen among the ten best young players of 2019, the French midfielder was separated from the team by Arteta, with which he collided from the beginning, to the point that he had to seek a loan to the Hertha Berlin And, according to the British media, it was not only for a sporting matter.

Mickael Landreau, a former Guendouzi technician at the Lorient, has repeatedly confirmed the difficult character of the midfielder. “He has an oversized ego, it is very difficult to handle,” he assured in an interview with Canal + France a few months ago, after the departure of the player to Berlin. Against this background, many were those who predicted that Guendouzi's promising career would end like so many broken toys, with no guarantees or second chances.

And it is that in addition, the first steps of the midfielder in Hertha were complicated. He could not debut until the sixth day because of the COVID-19 and in his first games he was hesitant. But Guendouzi has turned the situation around. The same has been his 'oversized ego' that has made him one of the most fit players in the Bundesliga, but the fact is that there are many voices of Arsenal fans who ask for his return in January.

After leading the victory of his team and scoring a goal against him Schalke Last weekend (his second at Hertha and his third as a professional), Guendouzi tweeted a photo of his celebration dedicating the goal to his wife. Within hours, there were hundreds of amateur responses gunners asking for his return in this transfer window.

In principle, it seems that Arteta rules out the possibility of his return. What's more, at Hertha they know that the situation between coach and player seems irreconcilable and they believe it is viable to exercise the option to buy on the player. “His contract with Arsenal will end in June 2022 and there are only two options, which are to extend with the English or to know if they will sell them to us,” he said Michael Preetz, general manager of Hertha. Everything can happen until January 31, but for now, what is certain is that Guendouzi feels like a footballer again, one with the whole future ahead of him.