Matteo Guendouzi has given an interview in France in which he explains why he left Arsenal.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 07: Matteo Guendouzi of Marseille reacts during the UEFA Champions League group D match between Tottenham Hotspur and Olympique Marseille at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 07, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 07: Matteo Guendouzi of Marseille reacts during the UEFA Champions League group D match between Tottenham Hotspur and Olympique Marseille at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 07, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

It is no secret that Mikel Arteta and Matteo Guendouzi did not get on. We looked at what happened between the pair in depth that you can read here if you need a refresher.

Guendouzi arrived in London in 2018 and immediately made himself a favourite with the Gooners by winding up opposition players and fans.

It’s didn’t hurt that he was quite good at controlling a football, too, despite still being a teenager.

Unai Emery picked the midfielder 66 times while he was manager of Arsenal, but after he was sacked, Guendouzi only played 12 times under Mikel Arteta, never featuring again for the club after a run-in with Brighton’s Neal Maupay.

“Journalists used this excuse to say that we had a bad relationship and that’s why I stopped playing and left Arsenal,” Guendouzi said. “Not at all.

“It’s a gesture like many on the pitch. There’s a lot of tension sometimes, a lot of problems on the pitch.

“In any case, it has nothing to do with all that.

“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 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.”

It probably isn’t, but there you go.

Guendouzi has made himself at home in Marseille where he has made 71 appearances, scoring seven and assisting 16.

At Arsenal he scored one and assisted five in 82 games.