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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Alex Smith

Matteo Guendouzi reveals message he told himself after completing Arsenal transfer

Matteo Guendouzi has been one of the buys of the season after arriving at Arsenal last summer.

France under 21 ace Guendouzi made a shock move to the Gunners in a £7million move from Ligue 2 side Lorient.

The midfielder had been a complete unknown to Gunners fans when he emerged at the Emirates Stadium but quickly made his name in pre-season friendlies for Unai Emery's side.

Guendouzi has gone on to be an integral part of Emery's midfield, alongside Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka, playing 25 times in the Premier League to leave the Gunners in the hunt for a Champions League place next season.

Guendouzi has been a shock star for Arsenal (Getty Images)

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And Guendouzi has revealed that his successes have come after he told himself to "make a difference" at his new club.

Guendouzi wrote in his Players' Tribune article: "When I came to Arsenal, I wasn’t telling myself, 'I am the new guy, the youngest player on the team, so I need to be careful.' I was telling myself, 'You’ve been brought here to make a difference,' and that’s what I’m striving for.

Guendouzi joined from Lorient last summer (REUTERS)

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"I try to help my team every day. If I need to talk to my teammates, I talk to them. If I have to yell at them, sometimes I yell!

"That’s probably why everyone is shocked when they find out I’m only 19. I don’t say things just to please people. I don’t pretend or lie, I try to be on the level as much as possible, and I hope people appreciate that about me.

"At Arsenal when I say I want to win trophies, people know I will work hard to get them, and I think they respect me for it."

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