Matteo Guendouzi re-discovering himself at Olympique de Marseille
When promising youngster Matteo Guendouzi signed for the Gunners, he was touted to emerge as one of Arsenal's best French signings.
The Gunners have been home to several top-class French footballers over the years, since the time of Patrick Vieira and Theirry Henry. Mathieu Debuchy and Olivier Giroud also made their breakthroughs at the Emirates as well.
Guendouzi was roped in by the Gunners by emerging as one of France's best U-21 players in the 2017-18 Ligue 1 season. He was one of the last few signings of the Arsene Wenger era.
Matteo Guendouzi, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐. โก๏ธ https://t.co/W3r2Ge4wqo
Struggles in England after an impressive start
The midfielder showed impressive adaptability to Premier League football and emerged as a key cog in Arsenal's midfield after his move to north London.
In fact, his performances during the pre-season tour in 2018 in Asia, he starred against the likes of Atletico Madrid and belied his age and lack of experience.
In his first year in England, he emerged as one of Arsenal's best midfielders and earned as many as 48 caps across competitions. In fact, only talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lucas Torreira made more appearances than him. His first season in England saw Arsenal narrowly miss out on a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Fallout and return to France for Guendouzi
Despite his skillset, the Frenchman's attitude and flamboyance frequently clashed with Mikel Arteta, who took over at Arsenal after Unai Emery's dismissal. This eventually led to a move to France - a loan spell at Olympique de Marseille.
Since then, his career has again been catapulting.
Whether it is the levels of French football or the talent that surrounds the Frenchman, he has been operating at a clinically high standard for Marseille. The midfield trio of Boubacar Kamara, Guendouzi and Valentin Rongier has been vital to Marseille playing a highly-flamboyant style of football this season.
Matteo Guendouzi was very impressive today for Marseilleโs against Lorient. #OMFCL
Guendouzi Stats
94 min
2 goals
2 Shots
1 assists
77 touches
56 (93.3) accurate passes
2 key passes
3(1) crosses (acc)
2(2) long balls (acc)
5(5) dribble attempts
#afc https://t.co/kt5K2ZJSIT
The midfielder has made 21 appearances across domestic competitions, in addition to playing in all of Marseille's Europa League fixtures. He has registered seven assists and two goals already to his name.
Guendouzi's personal form has also reinvigorated Marseille's fortunes in Ligue 1 again after a drastic fall last season.
The former Arsenal player is expected to sign a permanent deal at Stade Velodrome in the upcoming summer window. While many in North London will miss the prodigy plying his trade in the Premier League, Jorge Sampaoli will enjoy retaining the Frenchman's services in Europe next season.