Arsenal: Matteo Guendouzi is self-aware too? Stop it.

For only being 20-years-old, Matteo Guendouzi has practically everything at Arsenal and the icing on the cake is that he knows it.

I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks gushing over Matteo Guendouzi and how he is the most Arsenal signing that ever was. Which is funny because it wasn’t even a signing made by Arsene Wenger.

20-years-old, a malleable midfielder with a ton of talent mired in Ligue 2, it had Wenger written all over it, but the different is that after signing, he didn’t disappear into the youth ranks like Jeff Reine-Adelaide. He rose to the top of the pile and is now our best midfielder, all things considered.

Permit me to gush a little bit more now, just to fill the time. The amount this guy has improved in just over a year at the club is insane. From being just “that spirited young midfielder” to now being “that spirited young midfielder that can handle the ball like a seasoned professional, dribbles forward like Jack Wilshere, is learning to pass like Granit Xhaka and still has time to hound the ball and defend like a proper defensive midfielder.”

It really is a case of him doing everything, and being one of those rare, Patrick Vieira-esque midfielders that can truly be counted on to do the entirety of midfield duties.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

He has improved massively, and the icing on the cake is now that he is self-aware of what he is doing. The most recent news from Guendouziland is that he’s been called up to the French National team, and in speaking to the press, he openly admitted that he was quite aware of how much he had improved and how ready he was to take his opportunity with the Gunners.

Most 20-year-olds are wondering how they are going to do on their history exams and can’t be bothered to talk about what they have planned for their post-collegiate career, but Guendouzi seems to have everything figured out.

He’s got the talent, he’s got the wherewithal to go with the talent, and he has the stage to take all of that on to and continue to perform as one of the best young midfielders in the modern era.

So yeah, it’s hard not to gush about a guy who every week adds another brick to his “I’m a big deal” fortress. The Unai Emery era will soon be synonymous with the Matteo Guendouzi era.