5 things on Matteo Guendouzi

bundesliga.com picks out five things you should know about the Old Lady's loan signing from Arsenal.

1) PSG past

Guendouzi was born in Poissy within a firmly struck pass of Paris Saint-Germain's training centre at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the French capital's western suburbs.

His talent was spotted early and he joined PSG aged six where he came through the ranks with Dan-Axel Zagadou - now at Borussia Dortmund - and Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby.

He stayed there until 2014, but seeing his route to the first team barred by established stars, he gambled and moved to Brittany to join FC Lorient, the club where Dortmund picked up Raphael Guerreiro - himself born in the Paris region - in 2016.

It was a bold move that paid off as he went on to make his Ligue 1 debut aged 17 during the 2016/17 season.

"The fact he left PSG was also a way of saying he wasn't afraid because it's difficult to leave the club you've always been at," explained Sebastien Thierry, one of Guendouzi's PSG youth academy coaches. "But he knew exactly where he wanted to go."

He also could have perhaps returned to PSG in 2018, but instead opted to go to England.

"It's true that PSG showed interest this summer, like other clubs," Guendouzi told Canal+. "There were lots of discussions. But for me, the best choice was to join Arsenal. As soon as they approached me, I did not hesitate a single second and I concentrated solely on their proposition."

2) He's a character!

Guendouzi's character has - as much as his talent - taken him to the top of the game. "I did not change. I've always stayed the same, I've always been myself and I'm not going to change," he explained. "If I did not have that personality, I would not be here. I'm going to stay as I am, whether you like it or not."

That like-it-or-lump-it approach has not always endeared him to his coaches, but he certainly has stayed true to himself as he has risen through the ranks.

"He was an extremely determined player with a strong character and very forthright," explained Thierry, who coached Guendouzi when he was just 14. "He already had a lot of confidence in himself."

Former Arsenal and France icon Robert Pires is a fan.

"For Arsenal it's very important to have a player like Matteo Guendouzi," said the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2000 winner, who played for Arsenal between 2000 and 2006. "He's a good player and I think he can be a success with Arsenal. I hope so. He's a great player, he's very talented and he's very confident."

3) A footballer and a football fan

Sylvain Ripoll, who is now France's U21 coach, is the man who gave Guendouzi his Ligue 1 debut on 15 October, 2016 in a 2-1 Breton derby defeat to Nantes.

Ripoll was also the U21 boss that gave Guendouzi his international debut at that level in November 2018, and he has gotten to know what makes the new Hertha signing tick.

"He loves football, he eats football, drinks football, sleeps football," Ripoll said. "He would be frustrated when training ended, even after two hours. If he has one more hour, he will be practicing with the ball, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. He has a big personality, and that is a rare personality for a young player."

4) Not known for his goals…

Hertha fans can expect plenty of effort and application from their new signing, but don't expect him to find the net too often.

In fact, Guendouzi has scored just one senior goal in 112 competitive appearances for Lorient and Arsenal, the team he joined in summer 2018 after rejecting the French club's approach to sign a contract extension and - as a consequence - being frozen out of the first-team squad.

That one strike came in Azerbaijan against Qarabag in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League group stage, one of 11 appearances Guendouzi made as he helped the Gunners to the final where they were beaten by Chelsea.

5) Made in France, not Morocco

Guendouzi's father's family hails from Morocco, but for Matteo, there was never any question of playing for them having represented France from U18 level.

His father, a karate instructor who saw his son finish third in the French championships in the discipline, met then-Morocco coach Herve Renard in 2017 to discuss Guendouzi playing for the north African country, but…

"Since I was young, I've always played with the French teams," Guendouzi told Canal+ . "It's a dream to play with the France senior team. And I'm hoping to get there, it's a dream for me to make happen."

In September 2019, Guendouzi was in fact called up by senior team boss Didier Deschamps to replace the injured Paul Pogba, but is still to feature in a game for Les Bleus.