Matteo Guendouzi was fortunate to escape further action from the Football Association following his altercation with Brighton striker Neal Maupay on Saturday.

The French midfielder appeared to grab the neck of Maupay, who scored the winning goal in Brighton’s 2-1 victory.

The FA, however, announced on Monday: “Matteo Guendouzi’s conduct during this incident was not seen by the match officials at the time, but it was subsequently reviewed by the VAR, so he will face no further action.”

Now, the Daily Mail have been told that Guendouzi taunted Brighton’s players over money during the match.

Sources have informed the newspaper that Guendouzi, who reportedly earns in the region of £40,000-a-week, spent the game taunting the opposing players about the financial disparity between the two squads.

“He was saying the Brighton players were s*** and that he and his team-mates earn so much more than they ever will,” a source told the Mail.

“He's done it in other games as well. Arsenal are a decent club and hate that sort of behaviour.”

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The Mail add that Brighton’s wage ceiling is around £50,000-a-week, while Arsenal’s highest earner is Mesut Ozil, who earns an eye-watering £350,000-a-week.

Maupay, who Guendouzi apparently blamed for the first-half injury suffered by Bernd Leno, accused Arsenal’s players of lacking humility in his post-match interview on BT Sport.

The Mail say that Maupay’s comments were primarily aimed at Guendouzi, the 21-year-old who arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Lorient in 2018.

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These fresh details emerged on the same day that former Arsenal star Perry Groves told talkSPORT that he’s heard poor things about the midfielder’s attitude.

“The thing that annoys me is Guendouzi,” Groves said. “He’s playing in central midfield but doesn’t have the awareness to play that role; getting the ball, getting on the half-turn, bringing people into the game…

“He has energy, like a dog chasing a tyre – his enthusiasm is what he’s about.

“But I’ve heard a few things that haven’t been great about Guendouzi’s attitude, about having a bit of humility.

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“You want your players to be confident and a little bit arrogant on the pitch, but he’s not good enough to go around giving people verbal and giving people stick.

“The team aren’t good enough!

“If Maupay has been getting it in his ear all game from Guendouzi, and then he scores the winner, he’s absolutely within his right to go, ‘really, what have you got to say now? You want to give me stick? I’ve just scored the winner!’.

“And for Guendouzi to then grab him round the throat – which will get him a ban – someone needs to tell him to wind his neck in and concentrate on playing.”