Bruno Guimaraes made his Arsenal debut against Como on Wednesday night as Mikel Arteta gave supporters their first look at the £75million summer signing.
The Brazil international started on the bench at the Emirates before replacing Max Dowman at half-time, with Arsenal level at 1-1 following goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Martin Baturina.
Guimaraes played the entire second half and then stepped forward during the pre-arranged penalty shootout, calmly converting his spot-kick as Arsenal eventually won 4-3.
Bruno Guimaraes Arsenal debut offers first glimpse
There was no spectacular introduction, but this was never likely to be about producing an immediate headline performance.
Guimaraes has only recently joined Arteta’s squad following his move from Newcastle United and Wednesday gave the midfielder a valuable 45 minutes before competitive football begins.
The Brazilian was involved in Arsenal’s attempts to control possession after the interval, although chances remained difficult to create against a disciplined Como side.
UOL described his debut as relatively quiet, but Guimaraes still showed composure when Arsenal needed him during the shootout.
ReadArsenal highlighted before kick-off that Como represented Guimaraes’ first opportunity to make an impression after he was presented to supporters before Sunday’s defeat against Borussia Dortmund.
The bigger question now is how quickly Arteta feels able to use him in competitive action.
Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino have only recently returned to training following their World Cup involvement, potentially giving Guimaraes an opportunity to force his way into Sunday’s Community Shield plans against Manchester City.
Arsenal did not spend £75million for the midfielder to simply provide depth.
Wednesday was only the first step, but Guimaraes now has his first Arsenal minutes and first successful penalty behind him before the stakes rise considerably this weekend.
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