Mikel Arteta has tipped an Arsenal player who is yet to start a Premier League game for the Gunners to have a larger role as the season goes on, and he may even start Saturday’s clash with Brighton.
Asked about the fitness picture going into the meeting with a confident Seagulls side, Arteta was upbeat about defender Ben White: “Ben is all good, we have another training session this afternoon, so very positive about everybody.”
Jurrien Timber, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié could all also be involved: “Yes, we have another session; they are all willing to be part of it. We have another session to try to make sure they are fit.”
Ahead of Saturday’s game, most of the noise around Arsenal has centred on Max Dowman, who produced a stunning individual display in the cup win over Ipswich in midweek.
|
Max Dowman vs Ipswich |
Stat |
|---|---|
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Dribbles completed |
3 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Tackles |
3 |
|
Pass accuracy |
92% |
The performance prompted a glowing assessment from Ipswich boss Gary O’Neil, who admitted he’s never come up against a talent quite like Dowman at such a young age.
“I’ve definitely not had a 16-year-old as good as Max Dowman around my group!” O’Neil said.
“I think Mikel has so many good players that you can manage Max Dowman however you want, you can give him as much time as he needs. You can drop him in when it fits.
“If the game got tough for him, you’ve got Odegaard sat there ready to come on and help if he needs to. So I think he’s in a great spot. He’s got one of the best coaches around.
“I’m sure, as I said, the future is bright for him, because of the surroundings that he has. I would expect Max Dowman to be given the best opportunity to be as good as he can be at Arsenal Football Club.”
Despite the Dowman hype, it’s another player who started against Ipswich who looks set to be handed his full Premier League debut for the club on Saturday.
Arteta tips Guimaraes for huge role this season
Speaking in his pre-match press confernece, Arteta made it clear that Bruno Guimaraes’ role is going to increase significantly, perhaps even beginning this weekend: “He can play on the left, on the right, in the middle, he can rotate from there.
“He’s such a dynamic, versatile player that he can deliver great moments in any position, and it will be more down to what we need on the day, the relationship we have with the other midfielders, and for sure what the opponent does as well.”
It’s easy to see why the manager is so keen to get him going. Guimaraes arrived from Newcastle for a reported £75million this past summer after a hugely productive final season on Tyneside, where he racked up nine goals and five assists in the top flight, his best return in front of goal since moving to England.
|
Player |
Weekly wage |
Contract expiry |
|---|---|---|
|
Bruno Guimaraes |
£250,000 |
June 30, 2030 |
|
Martin Odegaard |
£240,000 |
June 30, 2028 |
|
Declan Rice |
£240,000 |
June 30, 2028 |
|
Eberechi Eze |
£180,000 |
June 30, 2029 |
|
Mikel Merino |
£130,000 |
June 30, 2028 |
|
Martin Zubimendi |
£75,000 |
June 30, 2030 |
|
Myles Lewis-Skelly |
£45,000 |
June 30, 2030 |
Across four and a half years at St James’ Park, he made 195 appearances in all competitions, scoring 31 goals and setting up 32 more, while also captaining the club to their first domestic trophy in 70 years in the 2025 EFL Cup final.
Newcastle did not win any of their Premier League games without Bruno Guimaraes in the starting line-up since he made his full debut in 2022 until his departure in 2026.
He’s shown up strongly on the biggest stage too, starting all five of Brazil’s matches at this summer’s World Cup and chipping in with four assists along the way.
It’s clear Arteta rates him as a genuine box-to-box difference-maker, capable of adding goals, assists and control to a midfield that already boasts Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi, with the latter seemingly the odd man out when everyone is fit and firing.