Arsenal and Matteo Guendouzi: Is there such a thing as a ‘sure thing’?

Arsenal have had so many talented players rise through the ranks, so Matteo Guendouzi definitely isn’t the first, but is there a such thing as a sure thing?

Ever since Matteo Guendouzi arrived at Arsenal, there’s been one hell of a hubbub surrounding him. This was helped on by his first two matches ever, two consecutive losses against Manchester City and Chelsea in which he was the sole bright spot.

He lead the Premier League in tackles completed and ball recoveries as an 18-year-old Ligue 2 graduate against two of the best teams in the best league in the world. That set the standard pretty high and it’s a standard he has not once failed to live up to.

When he stumbles, he rights himself. When he falls, he gets back up (sometimes after writhing a bit too much for my liking). But regardless, he continues to improve and now finds himself on the more probable end of winning.

The man’s just 20-years-old, and I just want to know the all-important question—is there a such thing as a ‘sure thing’?

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By that I mean is there a such thing as a can’t-miss talent who you’ve pegged from his teenage years, who everyone unanimously agrees is going to be world class, who actually lives up to everyone’s expectations?

I mean, realistically that comes around once in what, a decade? So many talented players pegged as the next Ronaldo, the next Messi, the next Vieira, but no one ever follows through on the hype. No one ever lives up to it. Such that it’s almost become a curse to be so highly regarded as a teenager.

So what makes Guendouzi different? Why is it that he will actually become a world class, legendary talent while so many others with similar praise never made it work?

For the record, I don’t think there are “can’t miss” talents. Injuries and intangibles get in the way all the time that you can’t account for. Abou Diaby was a can’t-miss, right? Injured. Same with Jack Wilshere. Meaning that Guendouzi’s biggest ally here is going to be his own body and staying fit. Thankfully, we’ve seen no early signs of injury troubles.

That’s step one. Stay on the pitch. Step two is improve. He does that without falter. Step three? Step three is repeat step one and step two. Which Guendouzi is doing.

No, I don’t believe in can’t-miss talents. But I don’t believe in ghosts either. Yet if I saw a ghost, I guess I’d be forced to believe.