Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi has a spot cut out for him

Arsenal are linked to a fairly hefty move for Lorient midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who is actually needed more than you might think.

Arsenal were very, very close to landing Yacine Adli earlier in the summer, but that move fell apart for one reason or another. Since then, the search has been on for another young midfielder with quite a bit of upside.

Enter Matteo Guendouzi. The 19-year-old, wild-haired midfielder from Lorient in Ligue 2, formerly of Ligue 1 before being relegated in 2016/17.

Guendouzi carries with him a reported £7m price tag. That would make him the most expensive U20 signing the Gunners have made in quite some time and (unless someone wants to correct me) perhaps of all time.

Guendouzi is what they call a complete midfielder, and the fact that you can already see that at 19 shows what there is to look forward to. He wins the ball, he keeps hold of the ball, he passes, shoots, heads, he does a whole lot of things pretty well.

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Despite the arrival of Lucas Torreira, Guendouzi would have a pretty obvious spot cut out for him, assuming that he would go right to the first team, which his price tag would seam to indicate.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Gunners lost two midfielders this year, even though one hadn’t played in some time. That means that they need two players in return, and while Guendouzi may not have an immediate impact, we can just call him the Santi Cazorla replacement.

With Mohamed Elneny and Ainsley Maitland-Niles providing the solidity behind the starting midfield three, Guendouzi can find himself some playing time alongside them, in the side competitions.

Joe Willock is also in the mix, but he didn’t stand out as much as he could have in the limited opportunities that he had. That doesn’t mean that his time is up, but Guendouzi carries with him a ton of potential and athleticism that works in the here and now.

Not just that, but there’s a fairly decent track record coming from Lorient, as that is where Laurent Koscielny came from and, needless to say, he turned out pretty well.

Even at the steeper price tag, this is a no-lose situation. He doesn’t even have to hit the first team right away.

Next: Arsenal Complete 2017/18 Player Ratings

There is a lot to look forward to with this one. Hell, I’d prefer him to Steven N’Zonzi, if we’re all being honest here.

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