Arsenal have signed Matteo Guendouzi from Lorient costing the club €8m (plus bonuses).

Guendouzi arrived at Colney on Monday, along with a few others. After successfully passing his medical, the 19-year-old put pen-to-paper on a long-term deal.

https://twitter.com/Touchofozil/status/1016715938325041152?s=19

Guendouzi is a French defensive midfielder who has appeared for his country at u20 level.

He made 21 appearances for the Lorient senior side last season, despite his age, and stands at just over six-feet tall.

Guendouzi was under contract with Lorient until 2019 but Arsenal have agreed an €8m deal with the French side. Despite what that tweet above says, most outlets, particularly in France, seem to think it is a four-year deal, not five.

Lorient had been expecting Guendouzi to leave since last season after a rocky time between the player and the club.

Dropped from the side in November, he was reinstated by the end of February before missing the final four games of the season despite Lorient fighting for promotion.

Lorient ended up finishing 7th, three points outside the play-off places. It was said that he missed the games for ‘personal reasons’.

Dortmund and PSG were among the other clubs that tried to sign Guendouzi and his transfer represents one of the ‘ten most important in the history of Ligue 2’ according to Le Telegramme. It is a little short in terms of the sale of Sebastien Frey for €14m but, when you factor in bonuses, in the same ballpark as the €10m Real Madrid paid for Raphael Varane.

Neither Arsenal nor Lorient have announced the signing at the time of writing but it’s worth noting that Arsenal have now signed two defensive midfielders in this one window after years of refusing to sign any.