Arteta outlines what Bruno Guimarães brings to Arsenal
By Luke Oluoch, August 10, 2026Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has heartily acknowledged that new summer recruit Bruno Guimarães is poised to massively improve the English Premier League champions.
The 28-year-old became the Gunners’ latest capture on Friday, as the London club sealed a deal for the combative midfielder.
Bruno is already an elite central midfielder following impressive stints with Newcastle United and Lyon in French Ligue 1. He arrives at the Emirates with a reputation for dominant duel-winning, an elite passing range, and tenacity off the ball, attributes Arteta plans to fully exploit after a busy summer preparing for a new campaign where the team seeks back-to-back Premier League crowns.
Speaking on Sunday, August 9, shortly after Guimarães was presented to fans at the Emirates, the Spaniard expressed complete confidence in how the Brazilian can transform the team.
“On the pitch, he brings the versatility to play in two different positions depending on what the opponent or we do,” Arteta explained.
Genuine goal threat
“He is a player who obviously has tremendous timing and intuition to win the ball back and progress play very, very fast. He is very comfortable threading passes through the lines or over the top, and he’s a genuine goal threat. He has great instincts for timing his runs into the box and the composure to finish,” he told the club’s portal
Looking towards EPL start
Arteta also addressed concerns regarding Arsenal’s backline, particularly with key defender William Saliba set to miss the start of the season following back surgery, and whether supporters should expect further additions before the transfer window closes.
“We conceded some poor goals today, especially in how we competed, but that is a collective responsibility,” he noted. “We need to improve with the players we have, and we definitely want to make those improvements.”
When asked about the possibility of further recruitment, Arteta left the door open: “That is what we are trying to do. It has to be the right player available in the market to make us significantly better. We are very actively looking into that.”
Gunners will resume their competitive action with the Premier League curtain-raiser, the FA Community Shield against Manchester City on Sunday, August 16, 2026.