Mikel Arteta has expressed his confidence in “warrior” Bruno Guimarães, predicting he will bring a new spark to the Premier League champions, Arsenal.
The Brazilian midfielder was formally presented to Arsenal fans prior to their 3-2 loss against Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup, following a £75 million transfer from Newcastle.
The 28-year-old has signed a four-year contract and adds to an already talented midfield that includes stars like Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino, Martín Zubimendi, and Eberechi Eze.
“You can see the immediate reaction,” Arteta remarked on the club’s website, referring to the warm reception Guimarães received from fans. “He describes himself as a warrior, and I believe he embodies that with exceptional quality, intuition, leadership, and charisma that will help us ignite something new within the team.”
“I think he’s going to motivate everyone in the squad, and that’s the kind of player we need.”
After being runners-up for three consecutive seasons, Arsenal claimed their first Premier League title in 22 years last term while also reaching the Champions League and Carabao Cup finals.
Guimarães watched from the sidelines as Arsenal fell to Dortmund, despite goals from Ethan Nwaneri and a penalty from Viktor Gyokeres.
Samuele Inácio, Konstantinos Karetsas, and Joane Gadou netted for the Bundesliga side at the Emirates Stadium, although Arsenal won a pre-arranged penalty shootout 5-4.
“I’m disappointed with the loss,” Arteta shared, reflecting on the game. He gave captain Martin Ødegaard his first minutes of preseason following the World Cup and will see his full squad return on Monday.
“There were some moments where we were not very recognizable, especially in set pieces and defensive actions, areas where we usually excel.
“However, we did have some very positive attacking sequences and created significant chances, but we failed to convert because of issues with our final passes. Overall, I’m disappointed because winning is what we always strive for, and today we fell short.”
Arsenal will take on Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 16, before starting their Premier League campaign against Coventry City at the Emirates on August 21.
Information from PA was included in this report.