Arsenal: Ranking the central midfielders for the Mikel Arteta era

1. Matteo Guendouzi

There is only one central midfielder in the Arsenal squad who has the potential to be a world-class performer when they reach their prime — this is why some see this position as a key need in the summer. And that is Matteo Guendouzi.

His high-end performances are superior to almost any player in the squad, irrespective of position. He completely takes over matches. His presence is overawing. He controls every aspect of the game. He strolls through the middle of the park, spraying passes left and right, charging into challenges, haring after the ball, slithering past defenders, breaking lines with surging runs and prising through-balls.

Guendouzi needs to sustain these performances through an entire season. He has to work on his positional ill-discipline, his over-eagerness to chase the ball, and his sometimes overly aggressive passing which leads to cheap turnovers. But his talent far outweighs any other midfielder.

Guendouzi will turn 21 on Wednesday. He has already proven that he can be an elite Premier League midfielder in a given match. Over time, the consistency will come. And when it does, Arsenal will possess their best central midfielder since Cesc Fabregas.