Arsenal and Matteo Guendouzi: A long, long way to go

Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is a phenomenally talented player, as proven by his Golden Boy nomination. But there is still a long way to go for him to fulfil his potential.

There are few footballers that I prefer watching at present than Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi. There are more brilliant players than the 20-year-old. Others can produce moments of skill that he cannot. There are more consistent performers than him, those that make fewer mistakes and excel due to their reliability. But there are very few in the world that are as unadulterated, raw, untamed and unbridled as the hair-raising Frenchman.

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And where last season Guendouzi was just a bundle of uncontrollable energy and technique, this season, he has shown more restraint, as if a superhero beginning to understand his power rather than unleashing it on anything and everything, causing more damage than he is fixing. He is developing.

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At the heart of the Gunners midfield, Guendouzi has now established himself as Unai Emery’s anchor. He is one of the first names on the teamsheet. He has been drafted into the French national team squad. He is now nominated for the prestigious Golden Boy award, handed to the best under-21 player in the world. Of the nomination, Guendouzi said it was a reward for his hard work throughout his development:

"“It shows that I’ve been working hard at Arsenal and have also done well at international level. I think it’s a reward for all the hard work that I’ve done at the club and the good displays I’ve produced, but it also reflects my progress in training and how much I’ve come on as a player here. It’s a reward for all my hard work and I’m hugely proud to be part of the 20 players under the age of 21 who’ve been nominated for the Golden Boy award – it’s fantastic.”"

However, while I thoroughly love watching Guendouzi play at present, it should be conceded that he still has a long way to go to fully fulfil his potential, one that suggests he is capable of becoming one of the very best central midfielders in the world.

Guendouzi still lacks positional discipline at times, chasing after the ball when he should defend in a more reserved, contained manner, he can lose his head a little, with some discipline issues seeping into his game at periods, and he still lacks consistency, though is not surprising for a player of his youth and inexperience — this is, remember, still only his second season as a regular contributor in a top-five European league.

The Golden Boy nomination is wonderful and Arsenal have not had a player deserve such world recognition at Guendouzi’s age in a long time. Perhaps not since Jack Wilshere has the club seen a player of Guendouzi’s ability break into the first team as a teenager. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Guendouzi still has much to learn.

Now, do I expect him to recognise his flaws, understand how to address them, and improve because of them? Absolutely. I expect him to develop into a world-class midfielder in the coming years. But there is still a long way to go if he is to truly become that player.