At the age of 14, Matteo Guendouzi was released by Paris Saint-Germain. Lorient provided an escape route and he took it, leading the U17 side to the championship title. While other players in the Lorient youth academy faltered, Guendouzi kept rising through the ranks.
“He showed the same strength and quality which he is now showing at Arsenal very early on, which meant he was very confident on the ball, very easy, had good vision and technical ability. He’s had all that since the beginning.” – Arnaud Huchet, a sports journalist covering Lorient
His determination and demeanour helped him get to where he is right now but also got him into trouble with his former managers.
Guendouzi – stubborn and resolute
Head coach Sylvain Ripoll introduced him to the Lorient first-team squad in 2016/17. He impressed to the point where Manchester City and Tottenham took notice. However, Ripoll was fired and replaced by defensive-minded Bernard Casoni, who wasn’t a fan of Guendouzi’s free, open style. Lorient was relegated and as a result, Casoni was sacked.
Michael Landreau took over and while everything clicked at first, the relationship between him and the David Luiz look-alike deteriorated significantly when Guendouzi refused to sign a new contract. He rarely featured following a bust-up with the manager. They reconciled when Lorient president Loic Fery intervened, but it was too little too late, as the club missed out on the Ligue 2 playoffs.
Arsenal and Unai Emery took a chance, plucking the 19-year-old from relative obscurity for €7.7 million. Not many expected to see Matteo Guendouzi in the starting lineup in the first round clash with Manchester City, but there he was. Emery rewarded him for a splendid pre-season and the French midfielder returned the favour with a quality performance. Even though he made one crucial mistake, he really stood out with his confidence and movement on the pitch.
Lucas Torreira was Arsenal’s marquee signing, but by the looks of it, young Matteo Guendouzi could be the coup of the transfer window. Much like they did under Arsene Wenger, The Gunners found another hidden jewel with all the qualities to be shaped into a shiny diamond.