Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi does Alexis Claude-Maurice disservice

Arsenal look to be climbing the ladder to land Alexis Claude-Maurice, but is it possible that Matteo Guendouzi has actually done him a minor disservice?

Arsenal‘s transfer window thus far could not be any more underwhelming. Literally. Because they haven’t bought or sold a single person. But they’ve been linked to plenty, and while he’s not the most exciting, Alexis Claude-Maurice looks to be inching closer to a move from Ligue 2 side Lorient.

The young attacker scored 14 goals in the French second tier last year, and the going price for him could be weighing in somewhere in the £12m range, though the longer the rumor goes on, the more that price is eking on up the charts.

At just 21-years-old, there’s a lot to be excited about with this young man. And he falls in the same realm that Matteo Guendouzi did last year – not truly being a solution, but being someone who could grow into one, if he can pan out quickly enough.

That’s what has most people staying optimistic about Claude-Maurice – the move for Guendouzi last year that saw an unknown teenage French midfielder brought in from Ligue 2, Arsene Wenger style.

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Hard to see how Guendouzi could have done any better with his first year in the league. He showcased tremendous talent and tremendous growth to solidify a bright future ahead, as well as an all-too-relevant present.

But I wonder if the success of that move isn’t doing Claude-Maurice a bit of a disservice. Expectations are a real son of a … and Claude-Maurice, following on the heels of his former team mate may be expected to do exactly what Guendouzi did – make an immediate impact.

It’s even possible that Unai Emery and the transfer “gurus” here at the club have seen Guendouzi’s move as a harbinger that they can slip in under the radar and simply count on Lorient to solve one of our problems yet again.

It’s dicey. What made Guendouzi’s first season so positive is that we didn’t rely on him. Not nearly as much as we might’ve if we would have, say, bought him alone, and not Lucas Torreira at all.

My point is just that I hope Guendouzi’s move and subsequent success isn’t being used as vindication to bring in another young Ligue 1 player as a solution to a bigger problem. Sure, they could all look like geniuses if he pans out too, but if he doesn’t, then we have even more problems on our hands.