Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba ‘BOTH set to complete loans to Marseille’

Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba ‘BOTH set to complete loan deals to Marseille with midfield outcast to join permanently after next season’ as Mikel Arteta begins overhaul of his Gunners squad 

  • Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba will both join Marseille on loan, say reports
  • The Arsenal duo both failed to feature for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners first-team 
  • Guendouzi was exiled by Arteta over his attitude and was loaned to Hertha Berlin
  • Saliba has endured loan spells at Saint-Etienne and NIce since his £25m move
  • The defender told Guendouzi last season that he was ‘locked up’ at Arsenal 


Arsenal duo Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba are set to complete loan moves to Marseille, with the former moving permanently after his temporary spell ends, according to reports. 

Guendouzi has endured a nightmare spell at the Emirates Stadium under current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, who exiled the young French midfielder from first-team training in June 2020 due to disciplinary reasons.

Saliba, meanwhile, has yet to appear for Arsenal in a competitive game since his £25million move from Saint-Etienne in 2019 after loan spells at his former club and Nice.

Matteo Guendouzi is set to join Marseille as well on a loan deal with an option to buy

William Saliba (left) and Matteo Guendouzi (right) are set to join Marseille on loan, say reports

Mikel Arteta (above) is finally letting go of Guendouzi after exiling him in the summer of 2020

Mikel Arteta (above) is finally letting go of Guendouzi after exiling him in the summer of 2020

But according to The Athletic, Guendouzi will end his tumultuous Arsenal spell by agreeing a loan with an obligation to buy with the French club, for a reported fee of £10million. 

The same organisation claim Saliba will be joining his countryman and Arsenal team-mate at the Ligue 1 club on a season-long loan. 

Guendouzi was signed by former Arsenal manager Unai Emery for £7million in 2018 and has featured 89 times in all competitions for the north Londoners. 

Arteta (middle) told midfielder Guendouzi (left) to train on his own for disciplinary reasons

Arteta (middle) told midfielder Guendouzi (left) to train on his own for disciplinary reasons

Saliba spent half of last season in the reserves as Arteta does not consider him ready for action

Saliba spent half of last season in the reserves as Arteta does not consider him ready for action

He played regularly when Arteta took over at the Emirates Stadium following Emery’s sacking but was told to train on his own by the Spanish manager due to poor attitude. 

Guendouzi’s last Arsenal match came in the summer of 2020 during the Gunners’ 2-1 loss away at Brighton, which ended with the French midfielder throttling Neal Maupay by the neck at the full-time whistle. 

He did not feature for the rest of the 2019-20 campaign, which saw Arsenal win the FA Cup under Arteta, with the 22-year-old loaned out to Hertha Berlin for the following campaign. 

Guendouzi was sent out on loan to Hertha Berlin for the 2020-21 season, playing 24 times

Guendouzi was sent out on loan to Hertha Berlin for the 2020-21 season, playing 24 times

The midfielder played 24 times for the Bundesliga club, scoring two goals and registering three assists in the German capital.

Saliba, meanwhile, immediately returned to Saint-Etienne in 2019 after agreeing to join Arsenal but an injury-hit campaign meant Arteta did not deem he was ready enough for Premier League first-team action. 

He went out on loan to French side Nice for the second half of last season and played 20 times in Ligue 1 – but Arteta appears reluctant to bring him into the first-team picture in north London. 

In December, Saliba joked that he was ‘locked up’ at Arsenal in an online conversation with Guendouzi, who responded that they were ‘together in exile’ due to Arteta. 

Saliba moved to French side Nice for the second half of the season and played 20 times

Saliba moved to French side Nice for the second half of the season and played 20 times

Saliba told Guendouzi on Instagram in December that he has been exiled by the club

Saliba told Guendouzi on Instagram in December that he has been exiled by the club