Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi a Unai Emery punt

Arsenal have signed young French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi. The former Paris Saint-Germain prospect is a punt designed by new head coach Unai Emery.

When Arsenal completed the signing of Lucas Torreira earlier this week, a signing that many had been expecting for some time and seemed a question of ‘when rather than if’, I did not expect to see many more, if any, additions this summer. I especially didn’t expect to see any so soon. And yet, that is precisely what has transpired.

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Just two days after the Torreira deal was made official, Sven Mislintat and his band of merry transfer men were making moves once again, this time for young French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who signed with the Gunners on a long-term contract from Ligue 2 side Lorient, whom he joined in 2014 when he was just 15 years of age.

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While it has been largely the work of Mislintat in highlighting needs and then addressing them with accurate and viable acquisitions this summer, this, I believe is very much a Unai Emery signing. Emery came to north London from Paris Saint-Germain. He knows French football in great detail — Emery’s detail, as explained by Ivan Gazidis who was astounded by his knowledge of the Arsenal squad during the interview process, is far deeper and wide-reaching than may other’s detail — and understands the assessments made of young players at PSG.

He may not have been the manager of PSG while Guendouzi was there. Emery didn’t arrive until 2016, two years after Guendouzi’s departure. But he will have a relationship with the youth coaches who have remained at the club, he will know some of the academy players who grew up with Guendouzi, and he will be able to ask for an evaluation on his talent. Emery would not have been blind to Guendouzi’s ability.

And that is important. I do not know the inner-workings of this transfer. Unlike others that have been undertaken this summer, this was a little more out-of-the-blue, it was not nearly as anticipated by the media. Now, some of that may be to do with the profile of the player. Had you heard of Guendouzi before the rumours surfaced?

But there is also a time delay element to it also. With Sokratis, for instance, Arsenal will have been working on that potential deal for months and months. That was Mislintat’s transfer, and he has been at the club since the turn of the year, and thereby has been working on the transfer since long before the summer ever got going. The same cannot be said for Emery.

Emery only arrived in late May. It probably took him until mid-June to process the lay of the land, analyse his new squad of players, and seek out the type of targets that he would want at the club. That, I believe, is why this was a quieter transfer. Emery was the one banging the table for it, but he couldn’t do that until he was at the table, ready, with his fist in the air.

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Guendouzi is an Emery signing. It will have received the Mislintat and Ivan Gazidis seal of approval. Without question. But it was Emery who wanted him first. Let’s hope it all pays off.