Arsenal's Guendouzi escapes FA action over grabbing Maupay's throat
Matteo Guendouzi has escaped punishment from the Football Association for his role in the fracas that followed Arsenal’s defeat at Brighton after VAR ruled he had not committed a red-card offence in clashing with Neal Maupay.
It is a rare piece of good news in a troubled return to action for Arsenal and something of a surprise after television footage showed Guendouzi putting his hand on Maupay’s throat.
The pair had been involved in a running spat since the first half, when the Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno sustained what appears to be a serious knee injury after a late challenge from the Brighton striker.
Tempers flared again after Maupay scored an added-time winner and both clubs have been given a warning by the FA, and reminded of their responsibilities, following the confrontation.
The match officials, led by the referee, Martin Atkinson, did not see the incident and it was reviewed by Michael Oliver, the video assistant referee. Oliver did not deem it to be worthy of dismissal and Guendouzi will be available for Thursday’s trip to Southampton.
Leno will certainly be missing and there are fears he will be out for months after hyper-extending his knee. He is being assessed and news on his condition is expected by Tuesday.
Consecutive defeats at Manchester City and the Amex Stadium have given Arsenal a formidable task in their quest for a European spot, with injuries to Leno, Granit Xhaka and Pablo Marí, as well as David Luiz’s suspension, not helping.
Their preparations for last week’s restart were complicated further when a member of the squad, whose identity is unclear, tested positive for Covid-19. He was expected to self-isolate for 14 days, along with two teammates with whom he had come into close contact.
None of the players in question was symptomatic and all three were tested twice more, once in private and then in last Monday’s round of Premier League testing, and returned negative results.
Having convinced the Premier League that the initial result was a false positive, all three were able to join in with training last Tuesday but by that point they had not trained for four days. All three travelled to Manchester for the 3-0 defeat.
Arsenal have until Tuesday to secure the services of David Luiz, who is free to leave on 30 June, for at least the rest of this season. His future is in the balance given the wildly differing financial scenarios the club may face after this summer and extensions are yet to be finalised with the loanees Dani Ceballos and Cédric Soares.
Matt Macey, the third-choice goalkeeper, is contracted until 2021 and not this summer as had been widely believed. Work is continuing to confirm the status of Arsenal’s loanedout players; Emile Smith Rowe’s deal at Huddersfield is understood to have been extended until the Championship campaign is completed.