Matteo Guendouzi Reveals His Childhood Love for Arsenal Is Thanks to Two Gunners Legends
New Arsenal signing Matteo Guendouzi has admitted he grew up dreaming of playing for the club after watching legendary French players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira represent Arsenal.
The 19-year-old youngster joined the club from French Ligue 2 side FC Lorient this summer and has already made a big impact on the club. He has made six appearances for the club and was recently voted by fans as their Player of the Month for August, after impressing against the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.
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In an interview with L'Equipe, Guendouzi discussed life at his new club and admitted it was his childhood dream to represent Arsenal.
He said: "Growing up, I watched other teams and I fell in love with Arsenal. I wasn’t really interested in posters but I saw many, many videos.
"Players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira made me love the club and I dreamt of going there. When I see the Emirates and the statue of Henry, I think back to those videos."
"From the moment Arsenal made an approach, everything was clear for me. I’m not going to lie, I thought it would happen later in my career. But joining such a club at 19, any player would like that."
Guendouzi has made an impressive start to life at Arsenal, looking calm and composed in the heart of Arsenal's midfield. His commitment to the team has not gone unnoticed by fans, who rewarded him with the Player of the Month award.
Asked how it felt to win the award, Guendouzi said: "It was nice to see that the fans are appreciative of what you do. I came from a league which was not very widely supported, especially in England.
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"But everyone made me feel comfortable, it really helped.
"I knew that going to Arsenal was going to be difficult, but I was convinced that I could do great things here. This is a great reward but it is not an end in itself."
