Former Arsenal scout reveals one wish for January, heaps praise on defensive duo & reveals which former teammate should’ve gone on to manage at the top of the game

Grimandi talks potential Prem return for Matteo Guendouzi

• “What would be nice to see in the second-half of the season is Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard back to the extremely high levels they showed last season and we hope they can stay entirely injury free . If you look at their stats compared to this stage last season, then both of those guys are arguably playing below what many may have expected.”

• “The only thing I like about this transfer window is that there’s an opportunity to look at players who are out of contract in June… maybe there’s a chance to sign someone then, but overall, I think Gabriel Jesus can do the job, Eddie Nketiah too. Although Kylian Mbappe is out of contract in June!”

• “I think they’re the best partnership in England at this moment in time, but I will add that Declan Rice has made both of their jobs much easier, since his arrival.”

• “Tony Adams is one name I’m surprised never went on to be a successful coach, just because of his fantastic personality, and his understanding of the game. I expected him to have a long career in coaching.”

• “I still think Patrick can be a great success as a manager; he was a little bit unlucky at Crystal Palace, in my opinion, because I think he did a good job there overall; from January to March he had a bad run and lost too many games, and ultimately that cost him his job. But I really hope he’ll return to the Premier League one day, because it’s the best place to be for top, top managers, and I think Patrick Vieira is one of them.”

• [Matteo Guendouzi] “I think and hope for him that he can definitely come back to the Premier League at some stage in his career, because he’s a very good player and he’s still young. But at that time, his style was perhaps not totally adaptable to what Arsenal, and Arteta, wanted. It’s about being in the right place at the right time, and perhaps Arsenal just wasn’t the right place for him at that moment in his career.”

Forget new signings… the only thing I’m interested in this month is seeing these two players getting back to their best

For me, I don’t like the January transfer window, to be honest. If you did your work properly in the summer, normally you don’t need to make any changes. There are plenty of talented players within that Arsenal squad and no long-term injuries to speak of, so I don’t think there’s a need for any players to join the club next month.

What would be nice to see in the second-half of the season is Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard back to the extremely high levels they showed last season and we hope they can stay entirely injury free . If you look at their stats compared to this stage last season, then both of those guys are arguably playing below what many may have expected. If they can rediscover last season’s form, I really think we could be in for a fantastic end to this campaign.

People speak of the need for a striker, a goal scorer, but I am not convinced that Arsenal need to find a player in that position. Last year we saw Martinelli and Odegaard both scoring 15 goals, not to mention the attacking talents of Saka, Jesus and Nketiah, so I think Arsenal have enough. It’s very complicated to find the perfect player to join – particularly at this stage of the season (in January). The only thing I like about this transfer window is that there’s an opportunity to look at players who are out of contract in June… maybe there’s a chance to sign someone then, but overall, I think Gabriel Jesus can do the job, Eddie Nketiah too. Although Kylian Mbappe is out of contract in June!

Saliba & Gabriel are best defensive partnership in Premier League

It’s difficult to talk about centre-backs as individuals; for me you talk about them as a pair… you cannot judge one guy’s ability, you judge the pair. In Gabriel and William Saliba, Arsenal have an outstanding pair of centre-backs who know each other very well. I don’t know whether the fact that both of them have played in France has helped with that relationship, but they have a real understanding of each other, and we saw the perfect example against Liverpool… they were strong, they were focused and decisive. I think they’re the best partnership in England at this moment in time, but I will add that Declan Rice has made both of their jobs much easier, since his arrival.

Rice gives a very good balance to the team, and as the season progresses, he’s only getting stronger and stronger. He’s massively helped Gabriel and Saliba, and I’m pleasantly surprised with how quickly he’s adapted to his new club, and those defenders must be so happy to see this player in front of them.

Am I surprised he joined Arsenal over someone like Manchester City or Liverpool? I don’t think so; I think Arsenal were an attractive club for Declan Rice. He can stay in London, at a club which is improving every year. For him, it was a great choice.

He does not seem to make mistakes. Defensively, he knows how to bring the right balance to the team, he’s very mobile and he does not give the ball away easily. For me, he’s been the standout Arsenal player so far this season and I have a special affection for him. He can still improve and he seems a player who works so hard to ensure he does. I feel that occasionally offensively, his vision could be better, but we’re talking about a player who I’m sure he’s only going to get better and better.

I’ve got a special affection – not just from this season, but last season also – for Bukayo Saka. I love this player; he’s played a major role in getting Arsenal back to this level. For me, his attitude, his ability, everything about him is exceptional. He’s a top class player who went through a very hard time with the national team after the Euros, but since that tournament, he’s been at the top of his game.

It’s so important to have all of your players fit for the second-half of the season, because it’s such an intense period. This team is not used to playing at a high level in the Champions League, while also trying to sustain a title challenge – it can be very demanding on a team to play every three days between February and potentially May, so it’s important that all of your players are fit. Thomas Partey will be so important to this team in the second-half of the season.

Mikel Arteta does a fantastic job for the football club. He knows exactly what he wants, he has a good relationship with Edu, which is really great because the two of them look like they’re free to work as they want; they don’t have too much pressure on them from inside the club. He has a lot of power in the club, which really helps, and he’s been given the time to do a really good job. He’s a great manager, and he’s so important for the success of this team. Now he just needs to get a title, and I hope he can do it this year, because he’s set up everything perfectly for the club to be fighting at the top of the table again, competing with Manchester City and Liverpool.

Patrick Vieira deserves another Premier League job (& the one ex-teammate I’m surprised never went on to coach at a top level)

Tony Adams is one name I’m surprised never went on to be a successful coach, just because of his fantastic personality, and his understanding of the game. I expected him to have a long career in coaching.

I’m still amazed at how many former Arsenal players have gone on to become coaches in their own right. There are so many… Steve Bould is currently out in Belgium, Patrick [Vieira] is out in France, Thierry [Henry] is with the under-21s in France, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was recently at Rangers, and for this, you have to give a huge amount of credit to Arsene Wenger, because he’s helped these guys love the idea of becoming managers.

Patrick deserves another chance to manage in the Premier League in the future, because this is the best division in the world and he’s a great coach. It’s so easy to work with Patrick; he’s so open-minded and passionate about football. He has a lot of qualities which are required in the role of a manager, notably a big stress resistance. He has a lot of experience playing and coaching at a high level and has a great relationship with his players.

I still think Patrick can be a great success as a manager; he was a little bit unlucky at Crystal Palace, in my opinion, because I think he did a good job there overall; from January to March he had a bad run and lost too many games, and ultimately that cost him his job. But I think he was unlucky because Palace played some really good football under him, and he ended up losing his job in the middle of a run of really difficult games. I don’t think he had the time to show what he’s capable of, but I really hope he’ll return to the Premier League one day, because it’s the best place to be for top, top managers, and I think Patrick Vieira is one of them.

There’s a place for Guendouzi in the Premier League

Matteo Guendouzi is a good player; he’s very active. But, for me, I just feel like he has to be playing in a team which adapts to his style, and I think that when you look at the way in which Mikel Arteta wants to play, quick passing, possession-based, it’s not the kind of football Guendouzi likes.

I think and hope for him that he can definitely come back to the Premier League at some stage in his career, because he’s a very good player and he’s still young. But at that time, his style was perhaps not totally adaptable to what Arsenal, and Arteta, wanted. It’s about being in the right place at the right time, and perhaps Arsenal just wasn’t the right place for him at that moment in his career.

For me, Unai Emery is a top, top manager. I know what he did at Villarreal and Sevilla, and I saw him in Paris as well. What he’s done with Aston Villa up to this point is fantastic, but I don’t see them fighting for the title because they just don’t have the experience within their squad to keep this level up for the duration of the season, and we’ve seen on a couple of occasions recently that they’ve played themselves into trouble. For me, though, he’s one of the best coaches in the Premier League and deserves to be managing in the Champions League again.

Perhaps it was a little bit too early for him at Arsenal, especially after his experience with Paris Saint-Germain. He will have learned a lot from both of those jobs, though.