Selling Matteo Guendouzi a mistake that will keep giving
Arsenal’s French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi gestures to supporters as he leaves after the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Arsenal at Turf Moor in Burnley, north west England on February 2, 2020. – The game finished 0-0. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s quest for free and swap deals has lead to ideas—some worse than others. Matteo Guendouzi as a makeweight is one bad idea.
The recent one involved including Matteo Guendouzi in a swap deal, perhaps in exchange for Thomas Partey. Guendouzi has yet to really take off at the Emirates, but turning him into a makeweight? That’s a mistake right now, and it’s a mistake that will keep on giving. Not unlike Serge Gnabry. (Though not quite as bad, because nothing could ever be as bad.)
Thomas Partey is the top of the transfer spectrum. He is the No. 1 target. He is everything we need and honestly if we only got Thomas Partey, I would still be a pretty happy camper.
Matteo Guendouzi is more to Arsenal than a makeweight
That’s how you know that including Guendouzi as a makeweight is a bad idea. Because even if losing him ensures us getting Partey, it’s still not a good idea.
Guendouzi burst onto the scene with the help of Unai Emery, who used him fairly regularly. The young Frenchman proved to be one of the brightest young talents in all of Europe and the heir incumbent to Granit Xhaka. He has tremendous potential, tremendous immediate ability, and even if he isn’t the answer right now, it’s rarely a good idea to sell a future answer just for an immediate fix.
Guendouzi is going to be something as soon as he starts getting used consistently. Mikel Arteta hasn’t found the best use for him yet, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a lot closer than it feels. If Unai Emery could get the best of him then Arteta, who is mastering this midfield piece by piece, is going to find the best way to use him.
Remember, Guendouzi was linked to a £60m move to PSG. We turned that down. It sounds crazy, but to trade him out for Partey would be a downgrade, at least monetarily.
You can’t lose Guendouzi. Just because he isn’t immediately viable doesn’t mean that we should ditch him for a quick fix. Let’s get Partey another way.
