Matteo Guendouzi has seen his attitude questioned on a regular basis of late, with the Arsenal midfielder’s former boss at Lorient, Bernard Casoni, the latest to suggest that the 21-year-old needs to change his ways.
The Gunners knew they were getting a spiky character when luring a player of considerable promise away from his homeland in 2018.
The hope was that Guendouzi would mature and mellow as part of a star-studded squad in north London, allowing him to unlock his full potential and become a long-serving star at Emirates Stadium.
Questions are now being asked of whether the youngster will see out another transfer window, with Mikel Arteta having taken to dropping a divisive figure from his plans over recent weeks.
That decision has been made after Guendouzi sparked controversy again with his actions in a 2-1 defeat at Brighton, overstepping the line of acceptable behaviour.
It is not the first time that the Frenchman has found himself under the microscope, with Casoni revealing that the Lorient academy graduate has always been difficult to handle.
He told reporter Freddie Paxton: “Guendouzi’s problem is not physical and is not technical. It’s his attitude, it’s not good for the team or the coach.
“My relationship with him wasn’t very good. I picked him for a cup game against Nice but he got booked early on. The ref told me at half time to warn Guendouzi: one more foul and you’re off, but in the second half nothing changed.
“I was left with no choice but to sub him off. When I did, he refused to shake my hand.”
Casoni added: “He took his job seriously, his training was no problem, and his character is to always want to win.
“Sometimes when he talks it’s good. But sometimes he talks badly. He talks too much.
“His talent isn’t in question, that’s not the issue. He can be a top, top player and I think he can still succeed abroad. It’s up to him to change his attitude.”
It may be that Guendouzi has to go and prove his worth away from Arsenal, with Arteta now favouring other options and showing that he is not afraid to make big decisions for the benefit of the greater good.