Arsenal star with ‘big future’ was involved in Brighton incident and let go by Mikel Arteta

A rising Arsenal star was tipped to reach great heights at the Emirates Stadium, but an incident against Brighton sparked his downfall.

Matteo Guendouzi was once tipped as a future Arsenal star – but the reality of the midfielder’s career now tells a different story. Arsenal v Brighton has become an emotional and sometimes turbulent match for the Gunners in recent years.

As Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing side prepare for their trip to the south coast for their Premier League encounter on Wednesday night, they may be haunted by memories of how the Seagulls dealt a major blow to their already fading title challenge in May 2023. By beating the Gunners 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium, they effectively handed Manchester City the Premier League crown.

Arsenal will be desperate to avoid any stumbles on this occasion in order to maintain their five-point lead at the summit, albeit with a game in hand against City. For that to happen, Arteta’s men must remain focused and balanced – something they failed to do the very first time the Spaniard faced Brighton as Arsenal manager.

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In the second ‘Project Restart’ match of the Covid-disrupted 2020 season, Arsenal traveled to the Amex Stadium in search of their first victory following football’s three-month suspension. Things started to go south towards the end of the first half when Neal Maupay injured goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who was stretchered off the field.

Guendouzi, then aged 21, furious, rushed towards Maupay and grabbed him by the throat, to which his French compatriot responded by throwing himself onto the grass. Unsatisfied with this alone, Guendouzi confronted Maupay again after he stood up, taunting him that he made more money than the attacker. The Gunners then suffered a late 2-1 defeat.

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It is understood that Arteta, who was still new to his role as head coach, subsequently took a dim view of his player’s brazen conduct. The Spaniard quickly banned Guendouzi from first-team and matchday squad training while the remaining matches were played that summer.

The Gunners boss refused to elaborate on the reasons for his exclusion. But, a few years later, Guendouzi played down the significance of the incident, which marked the last time he played in an Arsenal shirt.

“Journalists used this excuse to say we had a bad relationship and that’s why I stopped playing and left Arsenal (the Maupay incident),” Guendouzi told BeIN Sports. “Not at all. It’s a gesture like many on the pitch. There is sometimes a lot of tension, 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, I always gave the maximum of myself in training and in matches. I still played a few matches with him, I still had good performances.

“He preferred the 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 thing when you’re young is to play.”

Despite his comments, the episode was clearly the breaking point amid wider concerns Arteta already had regarding his attitude and discipline. After being forced to train separately, Guendouzi was loaned out to Hertha BSC and Marseille over the next two seasons.

He made a permanent transfer to Marseille in the summer of 2022, establishing himself as a key figure in the Ligue 1 team in 2022/23, earning him a call-up to the French team. Guendouzi decided to leave Marseille in 2023 due to managerial uncertainties, joining Lazio.

The midfielder could not stay away from controversy throughout his time in France and his two and a half seasons in Serie A, before finalizing his transfer to Fenerbahce in January 2026. Despite an encouraging start in Turkey, the fact that he is playing there at the age of 26 sums up a disappointing journey for a player eagerly awaited in England after his debut in red and white.

Guendouzi had joined the Gunners for £8 million in 2018. Then-head coach Unai Emery put faith in him with 48 appearances in his first season thanks to his work rate, drive and passion, with the midfielder reaching his peak at the start of his second season.

He shone in home matches against Tottenham and Aston Villa during Emery’s final months at the helm, providing quality assists and offering a glimmer of hope in an otherwise struggling team.

Such performances even led former Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas to praise Guendouzi. The Spaniard tweeted in September 2019: “Gotta love Guendouzi. Can play well or not so well but always shows up in tough times at such a young age. Big future ahead of him at Arsenal.”

Former Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal also later revealed that Guendouzi was among the young players he had tipped to become important figures in the first team. He said: “Guendouzi was a very good number six, who ran a lot and was very good with the ball. But he came at a really difficult time for the football club, when you look back.”

Emery’s dismissal in late November 2019 sparked the start of Guendouzi’s downfall at the club. Although Arteta initially gave him an opportunity, the pair never really solidified, with the player no doubt now regretting his absence from this exciting Arsenal side.

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