Photo: YantsImages / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta addressed the media at Emirates Stadium following his side's Emirates Cup Final defeat to Borussia Dortmund, which Arsenal lost on penalties after a draw.
Arteta said he was pleased with the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes but acknowledged there is room for improvement. "I'm delighted to have him. We see very clearly, especially the energy that he brought immediately to the training ground, the hunger, the desire to come here and create a big history at the club," Arteta said.
On Guimaraes's qualities on the pitch, Arteta pointed to versatility and ball-winning instincts. "A player who obviously has tremendous timing and intuition to win the ball back and progress play very, very fast. He's a player that is very comfortable putting people through, pulling between the lines, pulling behind. And then he's a goal threat."
Defender William Saliba is currently in a two-week rest period following an aggravated injury and his return timeline remains unclear. Jurrien Timber is back on the pitch but Arteta said his comeback is still "weeks away."
David Raya and Bukayo Saka returned earlier than expected from the World Cup, with Arteta describing that as "a really good sign." He said he expects all players to be available to begin their training programme the following day.
Asked whether supporters should be concerned by the pre-season defeat, Arteta was dismissive. "No. We know where we are. We know that we are missing still a lot of players and some players that haven't had enough training."
Arteta confirmed Arsenal are looking to add further players to the squad. "It has to be the right player in the market to make us much better. We are very much looking forward to that." He did not confirm whether a defender is being targeted specifically, though he noted Arsenal conceded "some poor goals" in the Dortmund match.