Matteo Guendouzi (Getty Images)
According to football.london (h/t The Sun), Arsenal are ready to hand midfielder Matteo Guendouzi a new contract as he has impressed new boss Mikel Arteta.
The Frenchman’s current contract with the club expires at the end of the 2021/21 season but the report suggests that he could sign a new deal in the summer. Arsenal are ready to give him a pay rise and tie him down to the club on a long-term basis.
Guendouzi, 20, came through PSG and Lorient’s youth ranks and played for two seasons with the latter’s senior team. He was one of the best players in his final season with Lorient and Arsenal signed him in the summer of 2018.
In his debut season in North London, the youngster made 33 league appearances for the Gunners. And in this campaign, he has done better than the previous term.
The French youth international has two assists to his name in the league, whereas, last season he could not provide one for the team. He is slowly evolving into a key player in the middle of the park alongside Lucas Torreira for Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has only three central midfielders at his disposal in Dani Ceballos, Joe Willock and Guendouzi. Torreira and Granit Xhaka are mostly deployed in deep-lying roles while Reiss Nelson and Mesut Ozil mostly join the team in moving forward.
That is why the former Lorient man is a valuable asset in Arteta’s squad. He is capable of switching between both ends of the pitch. Although he is used alongside the Uruguayan to stop the opponents’ attacks, he has shown his quality while helping his team move forward.
Guendouzi’s numbers this season have been impressive. According to Whoscored, in defensive situations, he has averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.5 clearances per game. In the last campaign, the numbers read 1.3 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 0.7 clearances.
He is a promising youngster with loads of potential and alongside other youngsters in the team, he would be a viable option.
The 20-year-old has been promising for the side so far and is capable of doing things on his own. Therefore, boosting his confidence with a new contract is the right decision by Arsenal.
