Of all of Arsenal’s summer signings, it was fair to say that Matteo Guendouzi was the pickup that flew most under the radar.
After all, with the excellent transfers (on paper) of Lucas Torreira, Stephan Lichsteiner, Bernd Leno and Sokratis, the £7 million signing of the Lorient player went by unnoticed, albeit with a few nods to Unai Emery investing in the long term.
Yet after an encouraging pre-season, the 19-year-old has impressed hugely in his first two games – not only Arsenal fans, but English football thereover.
A real ‘baptism of fire’ – City at home and Chelsea away – is daunting for the most experienced of players, yet the Frenchman has vindicated Unai Emery’s brave decision to start him in both those games.
In an ironic sense, he has proved to be a typical 2000s Wenger signing – a “a precocious, unreliable, teenage French playmaker with silly hair, signed from Ligue 2 and thrust immediately into the cruel, wet glare of the planet’s most helter-skelter, high-intensity footballing panopticon” as Hydall Coleen aptly describes.
While there have been some errors – as with most of the Arsenal team in the opening duo of fixtures – the youngster has provided a sort of shining light through much of the negativity following two consecutive losses.
I had the privilege of attending the fixture against Manchester City last week; my apprehension at Emery leaving the Uruguayan destroyer on the bench was swiftly offset by Guendouzi’s performance. One moment, perhaps, stood out in a show of verve, tenacity and raw potential, one that defined what the French U20 international is all about. Early on in the game, being pinned into our own final third, Guendouzi fearlessly locked his sights on a ball-carrying Sergio Aguero, refusing to cease his hounding until a pass was forced back to the halfway line. Moments like that will keep the Emirates behind him, and warm him to the Premier League nicely.
Against Chelsea, he shone – despite being alongside a subpar Granit Xhaka – with a display of excellent passing.
Whenever partnered Lucas Torreira – who should be starting every game – he has looked more comfortable, and the two look set to form a dynamic axis in the coming season.
In any sense, Matteo Guendouzi has passed his difficult opening test with flying colours.
