Many years ago, Argentina forward Paulo Dybala was consistently linked with a move to Arsenal.
Arsenal wanted Paulo Dybala at numerous different points according to reports, but at 31-years-old, the Serie A heavyweight seems unlikely to ever grace the Premier League.
Instead, Paulo Dybala will be a footballing name more synonymous with Italian football, a player who has shone for Palermo, Juventus and now AS Roma.
That being said, Dybala had a rather high-profile run-in with a former Arsenal player last season, one that he has now lifted the lid on somewhat.
In a Serie A match in April 2024, Dybala clashed with former Gunner Matteo Guendouzi, leading to some strong comments to arise on a recent podcast.
Paulo Dybala explains his big clash with former Arsenal player Matteo Guendouzi
Reported by Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Dybala labelled Guendouzi a ‘big mouth’ in a podcast hosted by compatriot Sergio Aguero.
Dybala accused Guendouzi of picking on young players whilst playing in Italy, something that made him ‘really angry’.
And Dybala claimed that was why he could be seen confronting Guendouzi on the pitch last year, an exchange which became fairly heated.
Paulo Dybala clashes with Matteo Guendouzi during a Serie A match.
Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Speaking on the podcast which has been translated from Italian, Dybala said: “That Frenchman has a big mouth and he especially annoys the young people, he always picks on them.
“He used to tell them: ‘I’ll buy you a ticket, I’ll make you go home’, he always did that to young people.
“For example, [Matias] Soule played for Frosinone the year before and told us that he always told them: ‘I’ll buy you one’.
“It made me very angry, so on the pitch I went to look for him. We told each other everything.
“Then I remembered that they had just given me the shin guard with the picture of the World Cup (won against France), and I showed it to him. He didn’t say anything.”
Mikel Arteta couldn’t work with Matteo Guendouzi at Arsenal
If Dybala’s words are to be believed, that perhaps explains why Mikel Arteta struggled to work with Guendouzi at Arsenal.
Speaking to BeIN Sports in 2022, Guendouzi admitted that he didn’t have the best relationship with Arteta at Arsenal.
After becoming Arsenal manager in 2019, Arteta immediately recognised the need to build a squad pulling in one direction, and judging by Guendouzi’s comments after his exit, it was right for the France international to start a new challenge.
Guendouzi said: “It’s true that I didn’t have the best relationship with him. Beyond that, I always tried to work, always gave the maximum of myself in training and in matches.
“I still play a few matches with him, I still did great performances. He preferred other players and I respect that decision.
“That’s why, afterwards, I also decided to leave because I was still young, I needed playing time to continue to progress. The most important when you’re young is to play.”