Since arriving at Arsenal as a relative unknown, the trajectory of Matteo Guendouzi’s career has only gone in one direction.
Few had heard of the midfielder when Arsenal’s former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat plucked him from the French second division in 2018 but now, less than two years later, he is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world.
Only Alex Iwobi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Lucas Torreira and Alexandre Lacazette made more appearances than Guendouzi during his debut season with the Gunners and his performances even saw him in the running for the prestigious Golden Boy award, which recognises Europe’s best player under the age of 21.
Although he lost out to Joao Felix, just the fact that he made the shortlist demonstrated how far Guendouzi had come in just a short space of time.
It had been a remarkable rise to prominence, one which had featured barely a bump in the road – but the 20-year-old is now facing a significant obstacle for the first time in his fledgling Arsenal career after a disagreement with head coach Mikel Arteta during the recent trip to Dubai.
Guendouzi and the Spaniard clashed during training, with Arteta unhappy at the young Frenchman’s attitude towards the session, and the argument continued back at the team hotel.
Exactly what went on is not clear but it led to Guendouzi being left out of the squad to face Newcastle on Sunday in the Premier League.
“I just do my team selection and [choose] the squad in regards to how they train, how they play, how they behave," Arteta said when asked about Guendouzi's absence and whether it was down to a disciplinary issue.
“It was about the way we train, the way we play, the way we live. I want the best players for the game and I select them in relation to what I see on a daily basis.”
Dropping Guendouzi from the squad to face Newcastle was a clear message from Arteta, who has made it known from the moment he first walked through the door that what he expects from his players in terms of attitude and application is non-negotiable.
Guendouzi is the first player to fall short of those expectations and he suffered the consequences, although he has been included in the travelling squad to face Olympiacos in the Europa League on Thursday night.
How he reacts to this spat will go a long way to showing whether he has a long-term future under Arteta.
Guendouzi had already fallen slightly down the pecking order following the Spaniard’s appointment as Unai Emery's permanent successor, starting just two of Arteta's eight league games in charge.
Arteta is not a man who will have his authority questioned, as has been made clear time and time again by several figures within the squad.
“He demands a lot of things,” admitted Lacazette. “I wouldn’t say he is strict, but he knows what he wants and when it is not good, we know that.”
When Arteta was confirmed as the new Gunners coach, there were questions raised about how the fans and some of the senior players would view him, given his age and lack of experience.
It was something he acknowledged himself, stating the only way he would be able to prove he was ready for such a big job was by showing it over time.
So, he will have been well aware that the squad will have been closely monitoring how he dealt with the Guendouzi situation and they now know that he will not take being questioned lightly.
For Guendouzi, the challenge now is to respond in a way that shows he is prepared to fight for his place not just in the team, but in the squad.
Under Emery, it was almost a given that he would be involved, usually as a starter but if not as substitute at some point during proceedings. But that is clearly no longer the case.
Arteta has predominantly gone with the midfield pairing of Grant Xhaka and Torreira since taking over in December but, on Sunday, it was Dani Ceballos that got the nod alongside Xhaka.
The Real Madrid loanee has been out of the picture for some time now due to injury but he returned against Newcastle and delivered what was arguably his best performance since his full debut against Burnley in August.
Arteta wants a midfield that can control the game and Ceballos’ quality on the ball not only allowed Arsenal to dictate the tempo of the match but it also helped bring the best out of Mesut Ozil.
Ceballos’ first instinct was always to move the ball forward into the space where Ozil was operating, whereas when Guendouzi is on the pitch he tends to favour the easier option when looking for a pass.
That’s not a criticism of the young Frenchman, who has been a revelation since arriving from Lorient, but there’s no doubt he will need to develop his game if he wants to be a key player under Arteta.
Guendouzi has always been at his best when Arsenal are chasing a game. Arguably his best performance for the Gunners came during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham earlier in the season when he inspired the fightback from 2-0 down. He was also impressive when Arsenal came from behind with 10 men to beat Aston Villa.
He seems to come to life when there is chaos around him and he has the freedom to do what he wants, but chaos is the last thing Arteta wants in his midfield. He wants structure, composure and most importantly discipline.
And if those demands aren’t met, on the pitch or in training, you will find yourself on the outside looking in.
Guendouzi has found that out the hard way. Now it’s up to him to show he has the desire to force his way back into the fold long-term.