Football writer Charles Watts has criticised the transfer fee Arsenal are set to receive after finally agreeing to sell Matteo Guendouzi.
The club have not confirmed the sale as yet, but in a recent interview with RMC Sport (via the Daily Mail) Marseille president Pablo Longoria has confirmed the midfielder will join his club permanently after agreeing on a deal to keep him there until 2025.
At the start of this season, the Frenchman was loaned out to the Ligue 1 club, where they had the option to sign him for a fee of around £10m.
Having seen that action now taken, Watts explained how he felt this sort of money wasn’t enough for the France international.
Speaking about the move on his YouTube channel, he said: “At the time I reported it, Arsenal got a loan fee of around £1m initially, and they’ll get another about £9m when the move turns permanent.
“Is that enough money for Guendouzi, who has now turned himself into a fully-fledged French international since his time at Marseille? Probably not. Well, in fact, it’s not. No doubt about it.
He then concluded: “At least they’re actually getting some money and not paying a player to leave, which is good.”
TIF Thoughts on Matteo Guendouzi and Arsenal…
No doubt, that last comment by Watts is, in part, in reference to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was reportedly paid off to complete his move away to Barcelona in January.
That sort of money certainly does seem like quite a small amount for Guendouzi, especially when you consider – as Watts mentions – he is now a France international, despite being only 22 years of age.
Are Arsenal selling Matteo Guendouzi for too cheap?
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Even so, Arsenal technical director Edu may well have felt the club had little choice but to take whatever they could for the player, especially due to his poor disciplinary record which once saw the two clash during an infamous trip to Dubai.
In other news: ‘Hell of a deal’ – Charles Watts claims Arsenal got a £30m summer ‘bargain’