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Arsenal have begun talks with midfielder Matteo Guendouzi about extending his contract with the club, even though the 20 year old Frenchman has only been at the club for a year.
Plucked from relative obscurity in French Ligue II, Guendouzi was signed for £8 million from L’Orient, but has already proved to be a big hit in North London, due to his constant running and passing ability. He made 38 appearances for the club in all competitions last season, and can be expected to feature heavily again, despite new arrivals at the club like Nicolas Pépé and Dani Ceballos.
He was on £40,000 a week, but can expect a substantial increase to reflect his value to the team.
The move is perhaps an indication that Arsenal are finally trying to change their operating mode, and are getting people to sign new contracts before their existing deals run out, a conscious attempt to avoid the type of scenario that allowed Aaron Ramsey to leave the Gunners this summer on a free transfer.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.