Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits he had “never heard of” Matteo Guendouzi when Arsenal moved to snap up the French youngster over the summer.
The Gunners took in a low-key transfer window, with new boss Unai Emery unable to work with the riches on offer elsewhere.
That forced the Spaniard, along with head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, to go in search of hidden gems.
One bargain they have unearthed is 19-year-old midfielder Guendouzi, with Mkhitaryan among those to have been impressed by a relative unknown following his arrival from Ligue 2 side Lorient.
The Armenian playmaker told RMC: “To be honest, I had never heard of him.