Bruno Guimaraes made a composed first appearance for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s side were held to a 1-1 friendly draw by Como at Emirates Stadium.
The Brazilian midfielder, who completed a £75m move from Newcastle United at the weekend, began the match on the bench before being introduced at half-time. His arrival was one of the main attractions for the home crowd after Arsenal had presented their new signing to supporters ahead of Sunday’s friendly against Dortmund.
Arsenal took the lead before the break through Myles Lewis-Skelly, whose future has recently drawn attention amid reported interest from Chelsea and Manchester United. Como responded before half-time when Martin Baturina produced a fine finish to bring the visitors level.
Guimaraes entered for the second half wearing number 39 and quickly showed several of the qualities Arsenal expect him to bring to their midfield. He broke up a Como counter-attack with a well-timed recovery challenge and looked comfortable receiving possession under pressure.
There were also early signs of an understanding with captain Martin Odegaard. Arteta had initially selected an experimental line-up featuring five academy graduates, but gradually introduced more senior players as the match progressed.
When Lewis-Skelly was withdrawn and Odegaard and Mikel Merino came on, Guimaraes moved into the deepest midfield role. From there, he repeatedly looked to move Arsenal forward rather than simply recycle possession.
One of his most promising contributions was an attempted chipped pass over the Como defence. Kai Havertz converted the move, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Guimaraes attempted similar deliveries on several occasions, offering an early indication of how his passing range could add another dimension to Arsenal’s attack.
The second half lost some rhythm because of numerous substitutions and a drinks break, although Arsenal continued to create openings. Havertz, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera all threatened before the final whistle.
A pre-arranged penalty shootout followed the draw, with Guimaraes confidently converting his spot-kick.
Although the friendly offered only a limited first look at Arsenal’s major summer signing, Guimaraes appeared comfortable in Arteta’s system despite having completed only three training sessions with his new teammates.
Attention now turns to Sunday’s Community Shield meeting with Manchester City. Arteta has yet to decide whether Guimaraes will start, but his smooth introduction at the Emirates has strengthened the possibility that the midfielder could immediately feature in Arsenal’s first competitive match of the season.