Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking immediately after the Gunners’ Premier League title win, said they had to stay bold to build on it — and the club have backed him by moving for the signing of Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes.
Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the league title last season and also reached the Champions League final, where they lost to Paris St-Germain.
As soon as the celebrations were over, Arteta set his sights on taking Arsenal to a “different dimension”.
With Brazil international Guimaraes poised to be part of a refreshed Arsenal midfield, the club believe he is exactly the profile to help achieve that.
Arteta has long targeted players with Premier League pedigree who can handle top-level demands.
The 28-year-old’s arrival takes the club a step closer to their ambition of assembling one of the best midfields in world football.
Arteta sees multiple reasons why Guimaraes can help ensure Arsenal are equipped to compete on all fronts.
Injuries were a persistent issue last season and, despite a £250m summer spend, durability remains a key factor in recruitment decisions.
Arsenal played 63 matches across all competitions and have revamped their medical department ahead of the new season.
Christian Norgaard, who is set to join Everton, arrived last summer but never fully gained Arteta’s trust, making only seven appearances and one league start.
That increased the load on Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, with Zubimendi eventually dropping out altogether as the run-in took its toll.
Rice returns from a World Cup in which he helped England reach the semi-finals, after a season where he logged the most minutes of any outfield player at Arsenal.
He has been managing a hamstring issue, but rest should help, and Guimaraes’ addition means Arteta can rotate without a drop in quality while further raising the midfield’s ceiling.
Known for demanding high intensity in training, Arteta will now have Guimaraes competing with Rice, Zubimendi, captain Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri — ensuring fierce competition for places.