Mikel Arteta has made it clear Arsenal are not treating Bruno Guimarães as the end of their business. After the midfielder was unveiled in front of the home fans on Sunday and walked out before the pre-season defeat to Borussia Dortmund, Arteta said the club are still looking for more additions before the window closes.

Arsenal are still looking for more

"Well that's what we're trying to do. If we have the right player in the market to make us much better, we are very looking forward to that," Arteta told standard.co.uk. He also said Arsenal want to improve in attack and add a versatile defender, especially with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba unavailable.

That is a fairly plain message, and it is probably the right one. Arsenal finished top of the Premier League in 2025 with 85 points, scored 71 league goals and conceded 27, so this is not a rebuild. It is a squad that is already strong, with Arteta still pushing for upgrades in a couple of specific areas.

Guimaraes' role in the plan

Arteta's praise for Guimarães was blunt. He pointed to the energy he brought to the training ground, the hunger and the desire to make a big impact at the club. He also described him as versatile, able to win the ball back, progress play quickly, move between the lines and provide a goal threat.

The fee says as much as the praise. Arsenal confirmed Guimarães signed from Newcastle for £75million on a four-year deal with the option of a further 12 months. He has started training with his new team-mates, but the Dortmund match came too soon for him. Arteta said he could be involved against Como on Wednesday night before the Community Shield against Tottenham.

Bruno Guimarães also arrives with decent recent numbers behind him. He averaged a 7.11 rating across five World Cup appearances and logged 431 minutes, which fits the picture of a midfielder who was already playing at a high level before the move.

The wider point is simple enough: Arsenal are improving while still shopping. Arteta is not pretending the Guimarães deal closes the window, and the hints about more attacking quality and defensive cover suggest there is still work left to do.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →