Arteta: Guimarães can take Arsenal to the next level

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the arrival of Bruno Guimarães can elevate the team to the "next level" and has confirmed the club remains active in the summer transfer market. Arsenal officially announced the £75m signing of Guimarães from Newcastle United on Saturday. The 28-year-old midfielder was introduced to fans at the Emirates Stadium ahead of a friendly against Borussia Dortmund, though he did not feature in the 3-2 defeat. He is expected to make his debut against Como on Wednesday. Discussing his pursuit of the Brazilian, Arteta said: "I am very happy to have him. The energy he brought to the training ground immediately, the hunger, the motivation and the desire to be here and build a big history at the club is clear. That is the ambition we need." He added: "We want to go to the next level and we are fully convinced that to raise the standards of everyone in the organisation, we need players with that personality, desire and character." With Guimarães, Arteta now has multiple midfield options, including Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, Martin Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino. Arteta noted that Guimarães can play in two different roles depending on the tactical plan or the opponent, highlighting his ability to regain possession and transition play quickly. The manager also praised his passing range, movement between the lines and ability to penetrate behind defenders, describing him as a significant attacking threat: "He has great instinct and timing to arrive in the box and the ability to finish attacks." Arsenal have already completed the signing of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and recruited Illan Meslier on a free transfer. The club had pursued Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior, but the player signed a six-year contract extension with the Spanish side. Despite this, Arteta stated that Arsenal will continue to be ambitious if the right player becomes available: "If there is the right player in the market that makes us much better, we are looking forward to that opportunity." Regarding injuries, Arteta confirmed that Jurriën Timber is still a few weeks away from full fitness, while defender William Saliba remains sidelined for an extended period as he recovers from a back injury.