Bruno Guimaraes played his first match for Arsenal as the Gunners ended their pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Como at the Emirates.
The midfielder, who joined from Newcastle United for £75m, was introduced at the start of the second half. Arsenal had taken the lead earlier through Myles Lewis-Skelly, but Como hit back before the break when Martin Baturina scored with a fine finish.
Guimaraes gets first taste of Arsenal action
The home crowd gave Guimaraes a lively reception, singing his name as he came on. He soon showed his competitive edge, making a crucial tackle to halt a Como break before calmly passing back to David Raya.
He also seemed to build a quick rapport with captain Martin Odegaard. As Arsenal made several changes, Guimaraes dropped into the deepest midfield position and tried to unlock the Como defence with a series of long passes.
One such delivery sent Kai Havertz through on goal, but the German’s effort was disallowed for offside.
Arsenal share spoils with Como
The Gunners could not find a winner in the second half after Baturina’s strike had wiped out Lewis-Skelly’s opener.
The match finished 1-1, with Arsenal winning the resulting penalty shootout 4-3. Guimaraes stepped up and scored his spot-kick, capping off a promising debut.
Arteta reacts to Guimaraes display
Mikel Arteta was encouraged by the new signing’s performance but stopped short of confirming whether he would feature in Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Manchester City.
“We will see. He has only trained three times with us. But he looked sharp,” Arteta said.
The Arsenal boss added that Guimaraes was eager to play and make his bow in front of the supporters. Arteta also noted that the midfielder had already formed a strong bond with the fans and would add quality to the squad.
Arsenal set for Community Shield
With pre-season now over, Arsenal shift their focus to the Community Shield.
Their competitive season starts against Manchester City, with Guimaraes’s potential involvement in that game still uncertain.