I played with Arsenal star axed by Mikel Arteta - here's why he made the right decision

Mikel Arteta's decision to sideline at will have been driven by the player's attitude, according to one of his former team-mates.

Guendouzi, 25, initially burst onto the scene at FC Lorient and secured his first professional deal with them in 2016. After honing his skills over two seasons, he caught Arsenal's eye and, in 2018, made the leap to the as the Gunners secured his services for an undisclosed fee.

Under guidance, Guendouzi enjoyed regular minutes in his debut season, featuring in 33 league games and making 15 appearances in cup competitions. However, after took the reins in December 2019, he was dropped for the likes of and - subsequently going on loans to Hertha Berlin and Marseille before his permanent move to the latter in 2022.

, who spent six years with Arsenal after signing aged 16 in 2001 and was his team-mate at Lorient, has cast light on possible reasons behind Arteta and Guendouzi's strained relationship. In an interview with , Aliadiere explained: "Frankly, from the point of view of talent and purely football, if I'm just talking about that, there is no surprise.

"After, during my last season in Lorient, when he started to train with us and to play, I had a little question about his attitude. I said to myself: He'll have to change a bit.

"He's in Lorient, so it's understandable, it's a small family club, that's it. But if he wants to climb the ladder and go play in a big club, his attitude will have to change. I think he understood that right away when he arrived [at Arsenal]."

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Guendouzi earned a reputation for having a fiery temperament, particularly following an on-pitch clash with Brighton's Neal Maupay in 2020 which led to him being barred from training and allegedly dropped from Arsenal's squad due to "attitude and general conduct" issues.

Although things turned sour between him and Arteta, triggering his move to Hertha Berlin, Guendouzi insists the incident with Maupay wasn't the reason for his departure. In 2022, he said: "Journalists used this excuse to say that we had a bad relationship and that's why I stopped playing and left Arsenal.

"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."

Guendouzi did concede his relationship with Arteta wasn't great, admitting: "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."

After spending two years at Marseille and making 35 appearances, Guendouzi was loaned out to Lazio for the 2023/24 season. His move became permanent this year, and he has played in all 12 Serie A games for them so far this season.