Mikel Arteta Drops Matteo Guendouzi After Heated Exchange In Dubai

Mikel Arteta reportedly dropped Matteo Guendouzi from Sunday’s matchday squad after a heated argument with the player.

Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 victory over Newcastle United last weekend with Dani Ceballos as a surprise presence in the starting lineup.

Guendouzi faced the axe after getting into an altercation with Arteta in Dubai, where the Gunners trained for the past two weeks. The Frenchman has been allotted just 2 Premier League starts after Arteta took charge of the club.

Speaking after Sunday’s fixture at the Emirates, Arteta said, “The reason is that players who are training better, behaving better and are more applied to deliver on the pitch what we want, are the players that are selected.”

Now, that is a big hint at what exactly went down on the training pitch and then the hotel in Dubai. Reports claim that both of them continued to argue and that eventually lead to Arteta making his decision. Whether the same treatment will continue on Guendouzi remains to be seen but the youngster does have to fight over his position.

Ceballos proved against the Magpies why he is a wonderful creative presence down the middle. Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka are already key elements of the team’s midfield setup and Guendouzi will need more convincing if he wants more playing time.