Bruno Guimaraes says Mikel Arteta is ‘obsessed’ with improving Arsenal

Bruno Guimaraes says Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is “very obsessed” with improving the team every season, something the Brazil midfielder noticed from their first conversation after his £75m move from Newcastle United this summer.

“From the first time I spoke to Arteta, he was very obsessed with improving the team every season,” Guimaraes said in comments reported by Metro, citing the Daily Mail.

The midfielder believes Arsenal’s performances show that Arteta’s focus is already producing results, although he stressed that the team still has significant room for further progress.

“We can see that our team is playing very well. It is just the beginning, there is a lot more to give, but so far, congratulations to everyone,” he added.

Guimaraes has had to wait for a sustained run in the Arsenal side after an injury disrupted the beginning of his time at the club. He has made only one Premier League appearance so far and was among the substitutes as Arsenal secured a 2-1 win over Chelsea.

He suffered a minor injury against Aston Villa, limiting his involvement during a period when Arsenal have continued to develop as a team. Despite his restricted playing time, Guimaraes said training with the squad had given him a positive impression of the group’s quality.

“I am very happy to be able to train five or six times with the team. It is great to work with a strong and impressive team,” he said.

Guimaraes also highlighted Arsenal’s strength in every area of the pitch, describing the squad as physically powerful, defensively resilient and dangerous in attack.

“They are physically strong, strong defensively, strong in attack. It seems that this season they are playing better than last season. I think that is the objective, to improve every year,” he added.

The Brazil international’s comments underline the scale of the ambition at Arsenal following his move from Newcastle United. Although his own start has been interrupted by injury, he has seen enough of the squad in training and from the substitutes’ bench to believe that the team has taken another step forward.

For Guimaraes, however, the progress so far is only an early indication of what Arsenal can achieve. His assessment reflects Arteta’s apparent desire to keep raising standards rather than settle for the team’s current form.

Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea provided another example of the level Guimaraes described, while his limited involvement means he remains in the process of adapting to his new club. The midfielder’s comments suggest he is confident both in the quality of the squad and in the manager’s determination to improve it further.

With his return to full involvement still developing after the problem sustained against Aston Villa, Guimaraes will hope to play a greater role in Arsenal’s progress. For now, he says the early signs are encouraging, with the team performing better than last season and Arteta continuing to demand improvement each year.