William Saliba sends message to former Arsenal teammate after sensational moment
Arsenal defender William Saliba has sent a message to Matteo Guendouzi following the former Gunner’s move to Fenerbahce.
Guendouzi enjoyed a controversial career with Arsenal, joining from Ligue 2 club FC Lorient in 2018 as a teenager and rapidly emerging among Unai Emery‘s key players.
But after a series of disciplinary breaches under Mikel Arteta, the Frenchman was ultimately banished from the squad and forced to leave.
Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Guendouzi, but it was their Tyne-Wear rivals that came much closer to signing him.
Sunderland looked set to move for Guendouzi in January, but Fenerbahce stole in and signed the midfielder from Lazio for around £25million.
What Matteo Guendouzi did on Fenerbahce debut
Guendouzi‘s talent was evident immediately at Arsenal. The youngster seemed to have an innate ability to grab games by the scruff of the neck, sometimes changing them single-handedly.
Two games will stick out for fans of the Gunners when thinking of the young Frenchman.
One was against Aston Villa in 2019, when Emery’s side were 1-0 down and reduced to 10 men. Guendouzi refused to lie down, picking up the ball in midfield and driving towards the box.
He was brought down, and the penalty he won would ultimately lead to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang‘s late winner.
Another came in the North London derby when Guendouzi led his team to equalise from a two-goal deficit, preventing a rare loss to Tottenham at home.
And it was a big game in which the midfielder would enjoy an impact on his Fenerbahce debut on Saturday.
Guendouzi’s low finish from the edge of the box would give his new team the lead in the Turkish Super Cup final, leading to their victory over Galatasaray.
William Saliba loved what Guendouzi did
Guendouzi and Saliba shared some time as Arsenal outcasts before the pair both joined Marseille on loan for the 2021-22 season.
There the former would stay, while Saliba returned to North London and became a key part of Arteta’s title-challenging team.
He has taken step after step for Arsenal in the past three years, but it is fair to say that he has not forgotten his former teammate.
After Guendouzi took to Instagram to celebrate his stunning Fenerbahce debut, Saliba responded with six love eyes emojis.