Arsenal signal further transfer activity after £75m Bruno Guimaraes arrival

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will continue to pursue players capable of taking the club “to the next level” after completing the £75m signing of Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.

The 28-year-old was officially unveiled by Arsenal on Saturday and presented to supporters at Emirates Stadium before the friendly against Borussia Dortmund. He received a warm welcome from the home crowd, although he was not included in the squad for the match, which Arsenal lost 3-2.

Guimaraes is expected to make his first appearance for the Gunners in Wednesday’s fixture against Como.

Arteta said Arsenal had been attracted to Guimaraes not only by his technical ability, but also by his character, ambition and leadership qualities.

“I’m very happy to have him with us. We see clearly, especially the energy that he immediately brought to the training ground, that passion and desire to come here and make big history with the club… and that is the ambition that we need,” said the Arsenal manager.

“We want to go to the next level and we are absolutely convinced that we are going to need players with that personality, that desire and those leadership qualities to push everybody within the organisation to higher levels.”

Guimaraes gives Arteta another versatile option in midfield, with Arsenal already possessing a strong group of players in the area.

The club’s midfield options include Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, Martin Zubimendi, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino, as well as their new Brazil international.

Arteta believes Guimaraes can provide solutions in several areas of the pitch and play an important role in Arsenal’s plans for the new season, particularly as they seek to defend their Premier League title.

“On the pitch, he has the versatility to play in two different positions, depending on what we need or the way the opponent plays,” Arteta said. “He clearly has a great instinct and timing to win the ball back and build play very quickly.”

He added: “He is also a player who is really good at playing decisive passes to his team-mates, finding spaces between the lines and attacking the opposition defence with runs in behind.”

“And on top of that, he is an attacking threat. He has a goal instinct and perfect timing to arrive in the box, as well as the ability to finish attacks successfully.”

Arsenal have also completed deals for Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge and goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a free transfer during the summer window.

The Gunners previously attempted to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid, but the forward ended speculation over his future by signing a new six-year contract with the Spanish club. That agreement effectively ended the possibility of a move away from Santiago Bernabeu.

Despite missing out on Vinicius Junior, Arteta said Arsenal would maintain their ambitions in the market and continue looking for additions capable of making a significant difference to the squad.

“That is what we are trying to do; if the right player is available in the market, who can take our level much higher, then we are very keen to do that,” he said.

Arteta’s comments suggest Arsenal intend to use the remainder of the summer window to strengthen further as they prepare to compete for all available honours in the coming campaign.

The manager also provided an update on the fitness of defender Jurrien Timber, who remains several weeks away from reaching full fitness and returning to action.

William Saliba is likewise expected to be absent for an extended period while he follows a recovery programme for a back injury.

Arteta will hope to have both defenders available again as soon as possible, with the new season approaching and expectations rising following Arsenal’s recruitment activity.