Matteo Guendouzi shared a picture alongside Dayot Upamecano on his Instagram page on Friday morning, getting some Arsenal fans excited.
Guendouzi is currently away on international duty with France, making his first appearance for the u21s on Thursday. He shared a picture with Upamecano after the game, as they travelled to their next fixture:
!['Agent Guendouzi': Arsenal star pictured with Dayot Upamecano 1 Matteo Guendouzi with Dayot Upamecano / Instagram](/static/uploads/2018/11/Guendouzi-Insta-646x1024.jpg)
The picture got some Arsenal fans excited, considering the links between the Gunners and the RB Leipzig centre-back in the past.
Agent Guendouzi doing the Lord’s work whilst on international duty. pic.twitter.com/H2YC3WX8wq
— Gilles 🇳🇬🏴 (@Grimandi_Tweets) November 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/Grimandi_Tweets/status/1063376271214813185
Back in 2015, John Cross of the Mirror reported that Arsenal were close to a £1m deal for the defender. Instead, Upamecano ended up with Red Bull Salzburg. The links to Arsenal then resurfaced almost two years later. Once again, the defender ended up going elsewhere, joining RB Leipzig.
Still just 20 years old, the defender clearly prioritised playing matches over joining a bigger club like Barcelona or Manchester United, with whom he was also linked. He told the German media in February: “I have a huge opportunity here to develop and to get regular game time.”
However, the Golden Boy nominee could now realistically fight for a first-team spot at a top club. He’s been performing excellently for Leipzig and Bundesliga.com called him ‘one of the world’s best young defenders’ earlier this year.
Perhaps we’ll see him moving on again in the near future as a result. We’ll have to wait and see.