Arsenal midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi has dismissed calls from teammates to apologise for his recent actions - instead insisting that his clash with Brighton's Neal Maupay was the right thing to do.
Guendouzi hasn't been seen since the 2-1 loss to the Seagulls in early June, during which he is understood to have taunted Maupay - he was even seen grabbing the striker by the neck during an ugly confrontation.
Manager Mikel Arteta, who has had problems with Guendouzi before, called the 21-year-old in for a meeting, but after he failed to apologise, Guendouzi was banished from training and has not made the matchday squad for Arsenal's last four games.
France Football go into a little more detail about the situation and note that David Luiz sought out Guendouzi to give him some advice on the situation. The veteran Brazilian urged his teammate to show more professionalism and apologise, but Guendouzi has stood firm.
He is said to believe that he needed to square up to Maupay to defend teammate Bernd Leno, who was injured in a collision with the Brighton man earlier in the game, and Guendouzi has not shied away from using that as justification for his actions.
Unfortunately for Guendouzi, nobody at Arsenal agrees with him, and now his future is in the balance. A meeting has already been scheduled for the end of the season for Arsenal to sit down with the midfielder and discuss his next move, but unless he apologises for his actions and shows genuine remorse, FF expect Guendouzi to be sold.
Arsenal are believed to value Guendouzi at close to the £30m mark, and they have already explored ways to use that to their advantage in the transfer market. Swap deals have been considered, but neither a loan nor a permanent exit have been ruled out.
Arteta on Guendouzi's absence: "It is the same reasons as last week.
— Simon Collings (@sr_collings) July 1, 2020
"Somethings have to change and nothing has changed."
The Gunners are looking to bring in Atlético Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, who could cost closer to £45m, so using Guendouzi to raise money for that deal may be a smart piece of business if Arteta no longer wants him around.
Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst and Porto midfielder Danilo Pereira are both believed to be on Arteta's shortlist as well, with the boss keen to build on their impressive recent run of form.
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Source : 90min