Ex-Arsenal man claims Emery signing needs to grow up to get into Arteta’s team

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Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere spoke to Goal about his compatriot Matteo Guendouzi.

The young Frenchman took the Premier League by storm under Unai Emery last season. Guendouzi, as a 19-year-old, played 48 times in all competitions in his debut season with the Gunners.

His composure and quality on the ball earned him plenty of plaudits from fans and pundits alike, but his performances haven’t quite been the same under Mikel Arteta.

Aliadiere, who knows Guendouzi well, feels that his compatriot hasn’t grown up since his arrival. He claimed that he will not be a regular under Arteta unless he shows some maturity as a man soon.

He said: “Listen, I’m a big fan of the guy. He took my advice and came to the club, but I just feel Matteo hasn’t grown up as a human being yet. He’s grown up as a player, he’s matured massively as a player and every year he gets better.

“But unfortunately as a man, he hasn’t grown and matured as much as I thought he would by joining Arsenal. I think that’s what he’s missing and that’s why he’s not playing as much under Mikel because Mikel is not really up for that.

“He wants players who are going to do a job for the team and do what they ask him to do. If they are not happy to do that, then he will have someone else do it for him,”

The former Gunners attacker is spot on there. Arteta made it clear in his very first press conference that he will have a problem with players whose attitude isn’t right.

Guendouzi is still young and early signs have shown that he has the quality to be the future of Arsenal’s and France’s midfield.

However, he will need to put his head down and work to impress the Arsenal boss. Arteta is the perfect man to help Guendouzi reach the next level. But it will all depend on the Frenchman’s attitude in the coming months.

Guendouzi’s current contract expires in the summer of 2022 and if he can’t change his ways soon, it won’t be a surprise to see Arsenal cash in on him to make some money off him while they still can.

The Premier League is expected to return soon and it will be interesting to see if Arteta trusts him enough to give him some game time in the final few games of the season.