Matteo Guendouzi was one of the five summer signings for Arsenal under their new manager Unai Emery. Guendouzi took very little time to acclimatize himself with English football and has managed to ink a regular place for himself in the starting line-up of Emery.
Not many expected the 19-year-old to carve such a strong impression immediately after his move to the Emirates Stadium. He has been a livewire in the middle of the pitch and more importantly, he has shown a lot of commitment and passion on the pitch for the Gunners.
The young gun has started in all four Premier League outings despite the presence of Lucas Torreira on the books of Emery. Intriguingly, it has emerged that Guendouzi’s former teammate at Lorient Jeremie Aliadiere convinced him to move to the armoury of the north London based outfit.
Aliadiere had plied his trade for Arsenal from 1999 to 2007 while Arsene Wenger was the manager of the club. He believed in the calibre which Guendouzi possessed and he recommended the midfielder to make a switch to Arsenal during the summer transfer window.
Speaking to Goal, Aliadiere said: “I knew when I first saw him that he had something special and that a lot of clubs would be after him. I said to him that for his development Arsenal would definitely be the right place for him.”