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Matteo Guendouzi celebrated his 23rd birthday on Thursday.

The combative midfielder is already an established member of the senior France international squad and is becoming “one of the best (midfielders) in the world” according to his boss at Marseille, Jorge Sampaoli.

So why on earth have Arsenal allowed him to depart so willingly and so cheaply?

The central midfielder is set to make his loan move to the French club permanent from the Gunners for a reported £9million fee.

Marseille’s president Pablo Longoria confirmed that the clauses for such a deal have already been met and the deal will be formalised when the transfer window opens. Guendouzi is set to sign a three-year contract with the Ligue 1 outfit that will keep him in the south of France until 2025.

It came after Marseille boss Sampaoli 's lofty praise above, with the Argentine adding that he was a “natural leader” in his side.

Having joined Arsenal as a teenager as a relative unknown talent from Lorient – then in France’s second division – his rise to prominence in North London was notable.

Across 18 months, he was a regular under Unai Emery and then Mikel Arteta – with his