Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi isn’t getting enough acclaim

Arsenal fans weren’t sure who Matteo Guendouzi was when he arrived, but there’s no mistaking him now. So why isn’t he getting more acclaim?

Last time Arsenal purchased a relative unknown from Lorient, he turned out to have a stint as the top centerback in the Premier League. It was Laurent Koscielny. Captain. Gooner. All-around stalwart.

The parallel wasn’t lost on many when Matteo Guendouzi arrived from the same club. Also a relative unknown, though, the same acclaim that met Koscielny met Guendouzi – a dull murmur of excitement.

But that was all it was, dull murmuring. He was fairly expensive for a relative unknown, which is usually a good enough way to get an indication of how good a player is, but still, I don’t think many could have expected that at the onset of the Unai Emery era, it would be a 19-year-old stealing the spotlight.

Guendouzi was cast into the firing lines against Manchester City and Chelsea and remained one of the only impressive players in that time frame. His energy and work rate was insane, and the best part was that he was doing it all with such composure. Like he was a ten-year pro.

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But he wasn’t. And even as he faded from the spotlight, with the Xhaka-Torreira combination proving to be a fantastic base in the midfield, Guendouzi continued to sparkle in midweek competitions and – reminder – he’s only 19.

As he is not in our collective consciousness as much as he was, the chatter surrounding him is dying down to that dull murmur again. But when he does things like what he just did for the French youth side, with a beautiful pass to highlight his sparkling potential, we all snap back to attention.

This is a special footballer, not just now, but in the years to come.

It wasn’t that the pass was monumental or game-changing (although it kind of was), it was just a reminder that this is what he is capable of doing. And as he grows older, he will do that more and more and more.

As a zealot Granit Xhaka supporter, I have no problem basking in the possibilities of him being challenged by Guendouzi for the long-haul. Everyone wins. Does it make me nervous that he can probably grow to be better than Xhaka? Of course not.

My only beef with Guendouzi is that he isn’t getting enough acclaim. This is a special talent. Very special. And I don’t want anyone to stop thinking about it.