The French midfielder turned down the advances of his former club in favour of a summer switch to the Emirates Stadium

Matteo Guendouzi admits that Paris Saint-Germain were interested in signing him before he agreed on a move to Arsenal.

The teenager has been impressive since moving to the Emirates Stadium in a deal reportedly worth around £7 million ($7.8m) from French Ligue 2 side Lorient.

And Guendouzi has confirmed that PSG – the club he started his youth career with before joining Lorient’s ranks – had been keen to re-acquire his services before the Gunners came calling.

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“It’s true that PSG showed interest this summer, like other clubs,” Guendouzi said to Canal.

However, despite the allure of rejoining his hometown club, the midfielder insists that as soon as Arsenal became involved, his mind was made up.

“There were lots of discussions. But for me, the best choice was to join Arsenal. As soon as they approached me, I did not hesitate a single second and I concentrated solely on their proposition.”

Guendouzi has been thrust into the action since his arrival in England, making 20 appearances in all competitions and scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-0 Europa League win against Qarabag.

Of those 20 appearances, the majority have been starts, with the young Frenchman having lined up for the Gunners’ first five Premier League matches despite a difficult start to the season that included games against Manchester City and Chelsea.

Even star turn Lucas Torreira, despite being three years older than Guendouzi, was not bedded in so quickly. Admittedly, he was likely afforded some rest following his World Cup exploits in the summer with Uruguay, but the trust Unai Emery has placed in his fellow new signing has been evident.

And that trust has not been misplaced. After back-to-back defeats at the start of the season, Guendouzi has helped Arsenal to a 21-game unbeaten run in all competitions, including an 11-game winning streak. 

Arsenal and Guendouzi are next in action again on Thursday as they host Qarabag in their final Europa League group stage game. The Gunners have already confirmed top spot in the group and are expected to field an inexperienced side.

If Guendouzi plays, he will likely be one of the more seasoned names in the line-up after a stellar start to life in an Arsenal shirt.