If you were to tell an Arsenal fan before the start of the season that Matteo Guendouzi would be one of the signings of the season, they would all laugh you out of the building.
The 19-year-old midfielder, who this time was year was lacing up to play Ligue 2 football for FC Lorient, was a surprise signing in the summer when a kid from the depths of France’s second-tier turned up at Arsenal and established himself as one of the best prospects in European football, and at roughly £7 million, Guendouzi has been one of the Premier League bargains of the season.
A midfield prospect bursting though onto the first-team scene at Arsenal has fans and pundits drawing comparisons with Cesc Fabregas, who broke through under Arsene Wenger at the age of 18, but does Guendouzi’s follow a similar path?
Arsenal have a troubled history when it comes to selling both players in their prime and selling youngsters. Fabregas’ move to Barcelona remains one of the most painful transfers in the history of the club and sales to Wojciech Szczesny and Serge Gnabry are now seen as massive mistakes from the club. The question now is what happens with Guendouzi?
Despite reports that PSG (via the Express earlier this season) are interested in the teenager and that the Gunners have slapped a whopping £60 million transfer fee on their new prized asset, it looks like Guendouzi will remain an Arsenal player for some while.
The club values him in the same category as Lucas Torreira and Hector Bellerin, key first-team players they want to retain for years to come, and Guendouzi out of that crop looks the most likely to remain in north London for the majority of his career.
Guendouzi has admitted he was a fan of the club and that these boyhood memories of watching the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Nicolas Anelka play for Arsenal played a role in him choosing the Gunners over the likes of PSG and Borussia Dortmund, who were interested in the midfielder in the summer.
So what does the future hold for Guendouzi? For now, he remains an Arsenal player and sees where his career with the Gunners takes him, and if he does make it to a level scouts and fans think he can be, Arsenal fans will get to experience a player as good as Fabregas stay loyal to the club.
