Hertha Berlin sign Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal
Hertha Berlin have completed the signing of French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi from English Premier League outfit Arsenal on a season-long loan.
The 21-year-old will bolster Bruno Labbadia's midfield in the capital, which was already strengthened this summer by the arrival of Guendouzi's compatriot Lucas Tousart.
Guendouzi lands at Hertha a day after their stirring performance at champions Bayern Munich, where they came from two goals down to level the scores at 2-2 and then 3-3 before Robert Lewandowski's 93rd-minute penalty settled the tie.
Watch: Highlights of Hertha's narrow 4-3 loss at Bayern
Labaddia will hope the defensively-minded Guendouzi will help sure up his side having conceded eight goals in three Bundesliga matches so far, as well as shipping five in the cup to second division Eintracht Braunschweig.
"With Matteo, we're getting a player who makes our midfield more flexible with his experience of already 60 English Premier League appearances, despite his young age," said board member Michael Preetz. "He brings aspects that will improve our game."
The former Paris Saint-Germain academy product has yet to feature in a matchday squad for Arsenal this season, but is fully fit and could make his Hertha debut when the club return to Bundesliga action after the international break for the visit of VfB Stuttgart on 17 October.
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Guendouzi has represented France U21s 11 times and won the FA Cup with Arsenal last season, although he missed the final through injury.
"The discussions with people here convinced me. I don't just want to progress personally but also help the whole club to take the next step. I can't wait for Hertha and Berlin," the new man added.
He's made a total of 82 appearances for the Gunners since joining from FC Lorient in 2018, but now joins the Hertha revolution that has seen Jhon Cordoba, Alexander Schwolow, Deyovaisio Zeefuik and Omar Alderete also move to Berlin in recent weeks.
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