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He is the ‘brilliant’ former Arsenal youngster Mesut Ozil named as the best at the club before Mikel Arteta sold him for £9m
Mesut Ozil will always be remembered as one of the most polarising figures in Arsenal’s club history.
Some Arsenal fans adored Ozil, a wizard with the ball at his feet who was able to find and execute passes like very few before him.
However, there were also supporters who bemoaned Ozil’s lethargic demeanour — they couldn’t understand why Arsene Wenger gave the playmaker special treatment.
Of course, during the Unai Emery era at Arsenal, there was more than one player at the club who divided opinion, a period of the club’s history littered with fractious moments.
And alongside Granit Xhaka in midfield, there was also French youngster Matteo Guendouzi, who arrived at the club under Emery’s watch in 2018.
Mesut Ozil named the best youngster at Arsenal
Guendouzi was one of the first post-Wenger signings, a youngster who promised a lot following his excellent performances for FC Lorient in France.
In total the now 26-year-old made 82 appearances for Arsenal before leaving the club permanently in a deal to join Marseille in 2022.
Guendouzi was never boring to watch in an Arsenal shirt and he clearly had the potential to thrive for the Gunners in the Premier League.
However, his attitude on the pitch was often criticised and there were question marks about how coachable the Frenchman was, at least under Emery’s watch.
That being said, Ozil still named Guendouzi as the best youngster at Arsenal in late 2018 when doing a Q+A on X.
Ozil was simply asked: “In your opinion, who is the best young talent in the squad atm?”
And instead of choosing Emile Smith Rowe, who was popular in fan replies to the question, Ozil opted for Guendouzi.
He simply replied: “Matteo Guendouzi! Brilliant player!”
Where is Matteo Guendouzi now?
Of course, some Arsenal fans might immediately read that answer and question why Bukayo Saka wasn’t the immediate choice.
But Saka didn’t actually make his first team debut until a month after Ozil’s Guendouzi pick and the German probably hadn’t seen too much of the now Hale End hero.
In terms of Guendouzi’s career since, the midfielder is currently playing for Lazio in Serie A where he’s a key cog.
Interestingly, Emery has been linked with Guendouzi at Aston Villa in the last year — perhaps there could still be a Premier League return for the Frenchman on the cards one day.
In terms of his own opinion, Guendouzi named the best player he played with at Arsenal a year ago.
A brilliant young talent, but one who needed to leave Arsenal to fulfil his potential.