Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised the club's newest arrival, Bruno Guimaraes, insisting the Brazilian midfielder can help propel the team forward as they look to build on last season's Premier League triumph.
Guimaraes completed a £75m move from Newcastle United, with the transfer confirmed on Saturday. The 28-year-old was paraded in front of supporters at the Emirates Stadium ahead of Arsenal's pre-season meeting with Borussia Dortmund, though he did not feature in the matchday squad for a game the Gunners ultimately lost 3-2. He is expected to be available for selection when Arsenal face Como on Wednesday.
Speaking about the rationale behind the signing, Arteta pointed to the impact Guimaraes had made even before kicking a ball for the club. "I'm delighted to have him," the Arsenal boss said. "We see very clearly - especially the energy that he brought immediately to the training ground - the hunger, the desire to come here and create a big history at the club."
Arteta framed the arrival as part of a broader push to elevate the squad's overall quality and mentality. "And that's the ambition that we need," he continued. "We want to go to the next level and are very, very much convinced that we're going to need players with such a personality, desire and character to push everybody inside the organisation to go even higher."
Guimaraes joins an already crowded midfield department at the Emirates, with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino all competing for places in central areas. Despite the depth already at his disposal, Arteta outlined specific attributes he believes the Brazilian international will add to his side's play.
"On the pitch, versatility to play in two different positions in relation to what we want or the opponent does," Arteta explained. He added that Guimaraes possesses "tremendous timing and intuition to win the ball back and progress play very, very fast," while also praising his ability to operate between the lines and thread passes to teammates.
The manager also highlighted a goal-scoring dimension to the new signing's game, noting his instinct for arriving in the penalty area at the right moment. "He's got a smell and a really good timing to get in the box. And he has the capacity to finish the actions," Arteta said.
Guimaraes becomes the third addition of the summer window for Arsenal, following the arrivals of winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who joined on a free transfer. The north London club had also made an attempt to lure Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, but those hopes were dashed after the Brazilian committed his future to the Spanish giants by signing a new six-year contract.
Despite already strengthening in multiple areas, Arteta made clear the club's transfer business may not yet be complete. "Well, that's what we're trying to do. If we have the right player in the market to make us much better. We are very much looking forward to that," he said, suggesting further reinforcements could still arrive before the window closes.
On the injury front, Arteta provided updates on two long-term absentees. Jurrien Timber remains "weeks away" from a return to full fitness, while defender William Saliba continues his recovery from a back problem that has kept him sidelined.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.