Kevin Campbell has claimed that Mattéo Guendouzi will ‘never’ play for Arsenal again, as he told the Highbury Squad.
The former striker thinks he is ‘never coming back’ after it was suggested to him that Mikel Arteta should recall him from his loan spell at Marseille.
Arsenal are short in numbers in the middle of the park, with Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Added with that, the Gunners are waiting on Granit Xhaka’s COVID test, whilst Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been loaned to Roma.
That leaves someone like Albert Sambi Lokonga as a senior midfielder, even though he arrived in the summer and is inexperienced in the Premier League.
Campbell brushed off any thoughts of Guendouzi or William Saliba returning from France and shared that the club needs ‘two midfielders’ in the transfer market at a ‘minimum’.
On recalling Saliba or Guendouzi: “No,” said Campbell. “Guendouzi, he’s never coming back. Never!
“We need Saliba, we could recall him, he is our player. I don’t think he should be coming back because he won’t be starting.
“We have our two centre-halves and I understand there is a drop off to Holding. But that’s one we have to ride out because we want Saliba to have the season out in France.
“Our problem is the midfield. I would be very surprised if we don’t go and get two midfielders. Minimum! Because we need them.”
Some would point towards the fact that if Arsenal need midfielders, then it’s logical to just bring back Geundouzi.
The 22-year-old could end up signing for Marseille on a permeant basis because they have an ‘option to buy’ him at the end of the season, as reported by Sky Sports.
But that is still an ‘option’ and given how well the all-action midfielder is performing in Ligue 1, Arteta needs to recall him.
However, it was well-documented the manner in which the France international left the Emirates and this might just be a case of a breakdown in relationship between the two.
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