Arsenal’s youngster determined to succeed and play the game his way

Image result for matteo Guendouzi

Matteo Guendouzi has sprung a surprise by starting all three of Arsenal’s games ahead of Lucas Torreira As a bright new era has been ushered in at the Emirates, it is a signing who arrived to precious little fanfare who has caught the eye for Unai Emery’s Arsenal.

Lucas Torreira was expected to grab the headlines after joining Arsenal in the summer, but 19-year-old midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has found himself at the centre of attention.

With just eight top-flight appearances to his name, Guendouzi raised few eyebrows when he joined from Ligue 2 mid-table club Lorient for £7m. But after a starring role in Arsenal’s 5-1 win over PSG in pre-season, there were murmurs around north London suggesting he could make an immediate impact.

Image result for matteo Guendouzi

Keeping Torreira, a player who started all five of Uruguay’s World Cup games, out of the Arsenal’s midfield for the first game of the Premier League season against Manchester City was beyond expectations. And so was Guendouzi’s performance.

“I had never seen this guy, I had heard about him but had never seen him play, so I was very impressed from the first training session,” team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan told RMC Sport. “It is a very big, positive surprise with him,” echoed head coach Unai Emery.

Image result for matteo Guendouzi

Guendouzi’s bright start was not a fluke. He may have been plucked from relative obscurity but it was the philosophy of the Lorient academy that helped mould his bold traits, which have helped him stand out throughout his upbringing and avoid becoming overawed in his early weeks with Arsenal.

Released by Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 14, he was a key part of the Lorient Under-17 side who were French champions in 2015, and he played in the French youth cup quarter-final defeat to Auxerre as part of their Under-19s two years later.

Image result for matteo Guendouzi

As happens at every club, others around him faltered while Guendouzi rose through the ranks. Perhaps, the difference was the youngster’s determination and single-mindedness – which would later cause as many problems as it solved.

Guendouzi grabbed the headlines on his first appearance for Arsenal in the International Champions Cup win over PSG.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *