Arsenal: Let’s just pump brakes on Matteo Guendouzi

Matteo Guendouzi was named Arsenal’s August Player of the Month. While the young Frenchman has been excellent, let’s just pump the brakes on all this hype a little.

It has been quite the start to his Arsenal career for Matteo Guendouzi. When he arrived earlier in the summer, transferred from second-tier Lorient, few expected the 19-year-old to have a noticeable impact on the season, especially this early in the year.

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But after impressing in the preseason, Unai Emery felt compelled to tow the line: ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.’ Guendouzi started each of the first four Premier League matches, including playing the full 90 minutes against the two previous English champions to open his inaugural campaign, and has truly established himself in the starting XI rotation.

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Such has been the success and substance of these early-season performances, Guendouzi was named Arsenal’s August Player of the Month. It is an award that recognises his contributions so far this season and is deserved — I would argue that Alexandre Lacazette has been better, but given that he has only started one match and Guendouzi has started all four, it would be a little unfair to award it to the frizzy-haired midfielder’s striking compatriot.

All this success for Guendouzi has led to some crowning him the next great Arsenal midfielder. The passing range that he has displayed, the commitment, the passion, the energy and drive from midfield, coupled with a surprising calmness for his tender years. They are all extremely attractive qualities in a deep-lying central midfielder. There is good reason for hoping the very best of Guendouzi.

That said, it’s also important to remember that he just a 19-year-old kid who has impressed in a very small sample size — four games and a preseason is hardly a large enough sample to provide accurate and effective analysis of any player’s performance.

I hate to be that cautious guy who can’t get excited at anything, but heaping expectation on young players rarely goes well. We have seen it time and time again at Arsenal, nevermind the myriad other clubs falling foul of grandiose hopes and dreams that were never that realistic, built on the fleeting, flickering quality that can come here and there but is not reliable or repeated.

I do not mean to argue that Guendouzi has had a poor start to life in north London, or that he will go on to have a career that only disappoints. But it is important that analysis is undertaken objectively and is criticised when necessary. This is one of those occasions. Drawing meaningful conclusions and making substantial predictions from four games is foolish. Very.

So let’s just pump the brakes a little on the Matteo Guendouzi hype. Yes, he’s been excellent thus far. But there is still a long way to go.