[ad_1]
The highly-rated French midfielder admits that he joined the Gunners as an unknown quantity, but is welcoming the added pressure he now faces
Matteo Guendouzi admits to having arrived at Arsenal as an “unknown”, but is embracing the pressure and expectation which has accompanied his rapid rise to prominence.
The Gunners splashed out £7 million ($9m) on a teenage talent during the summer transfer window of 2018.
Guendouzi had been playing in Ligue 2 immediately prior to making his way to north London, with a sizeable step up being taken onto a Premier League stage.
The Frenchman made that leap with ease and quickly established himself as a key part of Unai Emery’s plans.
Mikel Arteta has also found a regular role for him, with the hard-working 20-year-old eager to prove himself worthy of the faith invested in him on and off the field.
Guendouzi told Arsenal Player: “The fans definitely expect different things from me now.
“Right at the beginning, last year, I arrived as a new player, a young player who had just arrived and who was unknown.
“Then, inevitably, my playing well from the beginning last year was something new but I was still seen as a young player and new player that they did not know. Now, I have shown them what I am capable of.
“I have shown them that I can help the team a lot. So it is normal that they now expect a lot more from me, especially as I have played a lot of games last season.
Article continues below
“Then, since the beginning of the season, I have started in numerous games so it is normal that they expect a lot from me. In any case, I will always try to meet [those expectations] on the pitch.
“I think that I have a certain status in the team now. I have been able to show that I can perform well so I now need to be consistent, always help the team, always give it my best and always play well on the pitch.
“I think I improved and that my level increased a lot this year. I really think that I have hit many milestones and moved up a good few notches.
“I am even better than last season. My objective is to always keep making progress and that is what I will do in the years to come, keep on improving so I can be the best.”
Guendouzi took in 48 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions in his debut campaign and is up to 29 in 2019-20.
[ad_2]
Source link