Arsenal: Pape Gueye could unlock Matteo Guendouzi

Arsenal has been linked with 21-year-old defensive midfielder Pape Gueye from Ligue 2 Le Harve. The young Frenchman could be a great purchase who could unlock his midfield compatriot, Matteo Guendouzi.

About a month ago, I wrote a piece highlighting the need for finding a proper midfield partner for Matteo Guendouzi. In his second season in the Premier League, the young Frenchman has not enjoyed quite as much individual success as his debut campaign. Guendouzi has looked naive and erratic for long stretches this season. It hasn’t been all bad, but the Arsenal prospect man has not progressed quite as well as many fans would have liked.

Listen to the latest episode of the Pain In The Arsenal Podcast here!—The Rebuild 2.0

To be fair, Guendouzi is still only 20 years of age and has plenty of time to adapt and improve. One of the most important ways to do this is to nail down a specific role in the side. Guendouzi has often been deployed as the deepest-lying midfielder for both Mikel Arteta and former boss Unai Emery.

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

It was with Emery that Guendouzi seemed to push Lucas Torreira to the periphery, or literally higher up the pitch. And under Arteta, chances for Guendouzi have been mostly relegated to cameo appearances.

But have both managers attempted to twist Guendouzi into a position that is not actually his best-suited? Guendouzi might well not be a pure defensive midfielder. Like his teammate Granit Xhaka, there seems to be some ambiguity about Guendouzi’s best role, which has resulted in negative feedback from supporters.

Fans are growing exasperated by Guendouzi’s capriciousness at the base of midfield. But is that he should be tasked with pushing further up the pitch not shackle himself with defensive responsibility? Perhaps, then, in order for Guendouzi to blossom, he needs the proper partner.

In step 21-year-old Pape Gueye. Now, I won’t pretend to be an expert of second division French football but the recent report of Gueye’s Arsenal link is not the first time that I’ve come across the player. A few weeks ago, the fantastic Tifo Football outlined Gueye’s profile in a recent Sensible Transfers video they did for Arsenal. From that point, I took a look at the player and found his qualities intriguing.

At 6’2″, Gueye is an impressive physical specimen with a rangy stride reminiscent of Abou Diaby. The Frenchman has the ability to eat up yards with his smooth but deceptively pacey running style, somewhat akin to Guendouzi. Technically accomplished and gifted with a very good passing range, the left-footed midfielder could also simulate the delivery that Xhaka often brings to the midfield. Gueye is often deployed in the deep left-sided positions where he customarily hits long diagonal balls to find the right-sided attacker in space, something that could potentially unlock Nicolas Pepe.

He also plays for the same club that produced the likes of Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez and Dimitri Payet, which is no bad pedigree. The likes of AC Milan, Valencia and Fiorentina have all been reported as interested parties, and with a reported fee of £5million bandied around, there is good reason.

Partnering Gueye with Guendouzi could forge a young, energetic, robust and technical alternate midfield. While strengthening the starting XI with a box-to-box midfielder and creative force are surely priorities, snagging Gueye could prove to be beneficial in Arsenal’s long run as well.