Arsenal: That solves it, Matteo Guendouzi can do everything

Arsenal brought in Matteo Guendouzi to grow and develop, but he is already proving that there really isn’t a weakness to his game whatsoever. Already.

Arsenal‘s top performer against Spurs was Matteo Guendouzi, without a shadow of a doubt. He was the main man in the middle of the pitch, matching Granit Xhaka in touches, but unlike Xhaka, he did more with those touches.

While Xhaka did create the most chances on the team, Guendouzi created things that aren’t quantifiable by stats. He took the ball into the Tottenham defense. He made things uncomfortable for them, and he never gave Spurs any room to breathe when they, in turn had the ball.

And then there was the assist. That beautiful scoop pass to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that’s the kind of thing Arsenal fans drool over. But it’s coming to be more and more what we expect from Guendouzi, simply because his development has been so positive with do few drawbacks.

There are still going to be growing pains. Times where he plays foolish balls, especially out from the back. Maybe he’ll drive forward unnecessarily hard when he just needed to take a deep breath. But these are things that develop with age. In the mean time, he is doing everything you could possibly want a 20-year-old midfielder to do and then some.

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When he first arrived, he was hailed for his enthusiasm and energy, but in the span of that first season, he showed his ability to drive the ball forward, to make beautiful passes (even if some ugly ones were scattered in between) and to not lose an ounce of the passion and drive that made him special from the off.

He’s showing more and more capability around the goal now too. That scooped assist was one thing, but the near-goal was another. I remember him taking shots last year that ended up in the upper decks.

The composure is growing, the talent levels are growing. There is constant improvement from this kid and it’s reason to keep him on the pitch no matter what. No matter who it means makes way. My cohort Andy said this in one of his articles, but I want to say it again—Guendouzi is our best midfielder right now.

And the fact that he is just 20 and only going to get better is probably the most exciting thing at this club. Even more than that front three, or the fullbacks, or anything. It’s Guendouzi. He does everything.