New recruit has let Unai Emery down in ‘hippy crack’ storm, says former player

The French teenager apparently passed out after inhaling something from a balloon during the teams’ ‘so-called’ party days after he had arrived from Lorient

Arsenal legend Martin Keown feels that the boss Emery will particularly feel disappointed in Matteo Guendouzi after news of the leaked footage of the ‘hippy crack’ incident came to light recently. A raft of big-name players like Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazete can be seen with balloons, apparently containing nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas), in their hands just days before the new season began. Footage from London’s Tape club also revealed teenager Guendouzi seemingly passing out on a sofa after taking a breath from one of the balloons at the nightclub.

Emery has not taken kindly to this incident, and the club has also confirmed that they will gather the players round and remind them of their responsibilities. And Keown does feel that the former Valencia boss could “crack the whip hardest” on Guendouzi, who signed for the Gunner in the summer. “I know how difficult it can be for a young player breaking into the first team. This is a 19-year-old Frenchman who, at that time, was yet to kick a ball in English football,” Keown wrote on the Mail. “You want to show that you are one of the lads and this could well have been his first night out with his new team-mates. Guendouzi may have been egged on but Emery must feel he needs to keep a lid on this young man’s behaviour.”
Arsenal will look to continue their unbeaten run when they return to Premier League action against Huddersfield on Saturday, and Guendouzi will surely retain his starting berth after an impressive display during the midweek draw with Manchester United.

Authors take

The incident coming into public view will surely be a PR nightmare for Arsenal, but we can bank on Emery to ensure that the players are shown their place and reminded that they are players and public figures first with a certain responsibility towards their employers and society.