Matteo Guendouzi admits to having arrived at Arsenal as an “unknown”, but is embracing the pressure and expectation which has accompanied his rapid rise to prominence.
The Gunners splashed out £7 million ($9m) on a teenage talent during the summer transfer window of 2018.
Guendouzi had been playing in Ligue 2 immediately prior to making his way to north London, with a sizeable step up being taken onto a Premier League stage.
The Frenchman made that leap with ease and quickly established himself as a key part of Unai Emery’s plans.
Mikel Arteta has also found a regular role for him, with the hard-working 20-year-old eager to prove himself worthy of the faith invested in him on and off the field.
Guendouzi told Arsenal Player: "The fans definitely expect different things from me now.
"Right at the beginning, last year, I arrived as a new player, a young player who had just arrived and who was unknown.
"Then, inevitably, my playing well from the beginning last year was something new but I was still seen as a young player and new player that they did not know. Now, I have shown them what I am capable of.
"I have shown them that I can help the team a lot. So it is normal that they now expect a lot more from me, especially as I have played a lot of games last season.
"Then, since the beginning of the season, I have started in numerous games so it is normal that they expect a lot from me. In any case, I will always try to meet [those expectations] on the pitch.
"I think that I have a certain status in the team now. I have been able to show that I can perform well so I now need to be consistent, always help the team, always give it my best and always play well on the pitch.
"I think I improved and that my level increased a lot this year. I really think that I have hit many milestones and moved up a good few notches.
"I am even better than last season. My objective is to always keep making progress and that is what I will do in the years to come, keep on improving so I can be the best."
Guendouzi took in 48 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions in his debut campaign and is up to 29 in 2019-20.