Mikel Arteta believes Bruno Guimaraes can bring a new spark to Premier League champions Arsenal after completing his £75 million ($101 million) move from Newcastle.
Guimaraes brings fresh energy
The Brazil midfielder, 28, was presented to Arsenal supporters before Sunday’s pre-season meeting with Borussia Dortmund, which ended in a 3-2 defeat for the Gunners.
His arrival adds further depth to an already strong midfield that includes Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze.
Arteta said the warm welcome Guimaraes received showed the immediate impact of his signing. The Arsenal manager described him as a self-proclaimed warrior, but stressed that his influence extends beyond his combative qualities.
According to Arteta, Guimaraes also offers outstanding technical ability, instinct, leadership and personality. Those attributes, he said, could “ignite something different” within the squad and raise standards across the team.
The Spaniard added that Arsenal needed a player capable of driving his team-mates forward from inside the group.
Arsenal suffer pre-season defeat
Arsenal had finished second in the Premier League in three consecutive campaigns before ending a 22-year wait for the title last season. They also reached the finals of both the Champions League and the League Cup.
- Against Dortmund at Emirates Stadium, a penalty converted by Gyokeres could not prevent Arsenal from losing 3-2.
- Samuele Inacio, Konstantinos Karetsas and Joane Gadou were on target for the Bundesliga club.
- Arteta admitted he was unhappy with the result and handed captain Odegaard his first pre-season appearance following the World Cup.
- The manager said Arsenal produced several uncharacteristically poor passages, particularly when dealing with set pieces, defensive situations and the timing of their actions.
Arsenal’s next fixtures
Arsenal will meet Manchester City in the Community Shield next weekend. Their Premier League title defence then begins on August 21 against newly promoted Coventry.
