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When Arsenal completed the signing of a French teenager from Ligue 2 who had fallen out with the management, Arsenal fans weren't expecting much from the afro-haired midfielder. He was widely considered to be a prospect, rather than a ready-made player. The 19-year-old is a product of the Paris Saint-Germain academy, which he left when he was 17, in search of regular first-team football.
He joined fellow Ligue 1 club Lorient, which is also the former club of the current Arsenal captain Laurent Koscienly. He worked his way into the Lorient midfield towards the end of the season, maintaining an impressive passing accuracy of 91.2%. Unfortunately, Lorient got relegated to Ligue 2, but Guendouzi nailed down his place in the starting XI in the next season.
The transfer of Guendouzi was completed so smoothly and quickly, for a reported fee of £7 million, that the Gunners' fans weren't able to take a close look at his qualities, until he was already at the club. The majority of Arsenal fans were excited by the signing, hoping that Sven Mislintat, the former Head of Recruitment at Arsenal, had found his next gem. Guendouzi was a hot prospect in France, having already represented the World Champions at the U-18, U-19 and U-20 level.
The midfielder was renowned for his distribution, ability to create chances from deep, making powerful runs forward, and making important interceptions. His apparent weaknesses were tackling, inability to track opposition's midfielders' runs, and being weak in the air, despite being tall.
It was believed by pundits and fans alike that the teenager was not ready for the fierce Premier League, and would first develop by playing for the Gunners' U-23 side. But everybody was left utterly shocked when Unai Emery named him in the starting XI for their opening match against the reigning champions, Manchester City.
Although the Gunners looked poor and lacklustre in the tie, Guendouzi's performance was the only silver lining throughout the match. Even though the teenager committed small errors throughout the game, he never looked shy to ask for the ball, played his passes with a positive intent, and never went into hiding.
Emery stuck with him for the next match against Chelsea, and Guendouzi repaid his trust with a very positive and mature performance against Maurizio Sarri's men, although the Blues secured a narrow win. By this time, Arsenal's major signing of the summer, Lucas Torreira who was bought from Sampdoria for £26 million, had recovered from his World Cup exertions and was ready to stake his claim as the tenacious midfielder the Gunners had been crying out for years.
When the Uruguayan signed for the North London side, he was expected to form the midfield pivot with Granit Xhaka. But such was the influence of Guendouzi that Emery found him impossible to drop, and he thus made five successive Premier League starts. Even when he was not starting in the Premier League, he was always called upon by Emery to close matches through his passing and ball retention.
As the season has passed by, it looks like Emery is trying to find more and more ways to get Guendouzi into the team. The Frenchman has made 33 appearances in the season so, with him featuring in 23 of the Gunners' 26 Premier League games so far. He has maintained an impressive passing accuracy of 87.6%, made 27 interceptions, 114 recoveries and won 58% of his duels in the Premier League.
Whether it is through changing the formation in away games to accommodate 3 deep-lying midfielders, or benching either Xhaka or Torreira against smaller teams due to Guendouzi's superior attacking prowess, Emery has put a lot of trust in him, which can be intimidating for a teenager playing his first season in England, but Guendouzi has been unaffected by the growing buzz around him. He has repaid his manager's trust with positive performances, and endeared himself to the Gunners' fans.
In an interview with Arsenal.com just after signing for the Gunners, Guendouzi revealed that he was an Arsenal fan as a child, and this was his dream move. While players say that very commonly to get in the good books of the fans, Guendouzi might have just meant it. The passion he has shown as a 19-year-old is bewildering.
One incident particularly enchanted Arsenal fans all around the world, which came during the North London Derby at the Emirates, when he backed his teammates during the altercation with Spurs' players. The Gunners won the derby 4-2, and Guendouzi was spotted celebrating with the fans while leaving the stadium.
Guendouzi has been a revelation for the Gunners, a surprisingly unexpected one too. He has pushed Mohamed Elneny down the pecking order, and provides a unique option for the manager. He can regularly supply those incisive passes for runners between the opposition's centre half and the full back, and reads the game with the kind of maturity that is way beyond his years. He has garnered a lot of players from pundits and ex-players, with former Arsenal Invincible Emmanuel Petit saying that the Frenchman reminds him of his younger self and describing him as the 'Engine of the Team'.
It is clear that Arsenal have hit the jackpot with Guendouzi. He has the ability to become one of the best midfielders in the world, and has already got the push at Arsenal which many prospects don't get. But the journey of becoming a world class player from a breathtaking prospect is a long and tedious one, and it is impossible to predict how a player will react when injuries and glamour comes along the way.
The French wonderkid has got everything it takes to make it big, and if he continues to keep his head down and work hard, he may become the Arsenal captain one day. Arsenal, on the other hand, have got a gem they should hold onto, but a gem who also has a high resale value because of his. Let's hope Guendouzi becomes an even better player with time and we enjoy his football for years to come!
