Unai Emery may well be Matteo Guendouzi’s biggest fan, but if the former Arsenal manager wants to bring the midfielder to Villarreal, the youngster might think he’s bigger than that thanks to Emery himself.

When Matteo Guendouzi first arrived at Arsenal aged 19, we were told he was ‘one for the future’. We were then all naturally surprised when Unai Emery handed him 33 starts and 48 games in total, making him a first-team regular in his first season.

From such decisions do mighty egos grow. How much bigger will it get if Villarreal really have put in a €30m loan-to-buy offer for him?

Emery, as we all also know, has problems asserting his authority around players with big personalities and, since the Spaniard left, we’ve got to know that that is one of the things Guendouzi is. He got into trouble with the new regime in Dubai and hasn’t been seen since he taunted Neal Maupay about his wages, despite earning less than the Brighton man.

Guendouzi might find the idea of working under a coach he knows he can manipulate appealing, but it all depends on what his ego tells him.

He clearly doesn’t want to play for Arsenal and, while I know I’m biased, it would feel like a step down to go to Villarreal for the 21-year-old. Not as much as it might once have been, but it’s hard to understand why any player from Arsenal would want to go and play for Emery again, apart from Guendouzi.

I certainly wouldn’t want to watch his football, why players would want to play it is beyond me.

Still, for some it is about the team and for others it’s about the personal glory. Maybe Guendouzi fancies himself to star for Villarreal.

Or maybe he just fancies himself.

Who knows?

• This post was first published on 5 August when EUnai Emery’s interest in Matteo Guendouzi made the media.
• This post was updated on 16 August to reflect Villarreal’s reported bid of €30m loan-to-buy bid for the midfielder.