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Arsenal’s new signing Bruno Guimarães is injured, missing the season start. He suffered a knock in the Community Shield final. He may return for the Aston Villa game.
Bruno Guimaraes in his Arsenal gear.
(Arsenal.com)
Premier League champions Arsenal will start the new season with some of the nightmares of the previous two as their marquee signing, midfielder Bruno Guimarães, is not part of the squad due to an injury. Guimarães signed for £75 million (Rs. 979 crore) from Newcastle United and suffered a knock in the Community Shield final against Manchester City on Sunday.
He came out of the game at half-time and was seen putting an ice bag on his groin. Reports in English media suggest he could return to the squad for the game against Aston Villa next Tuesday (September 1). It’s a small blow for the Gunners, who must be relying on him to cover the base of the midfield as they try to bed in Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi back after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Guimarães has an overall excellent injury record, though Arsenal would know they have paid a premium for a player who’d turn 29 in December, and can’t afford him having too many muscular issues as they aim to defend their title for the first time in the Premier League era.
Guimarães has also been brought in to add a new dimension to Arsenal’s attack, with his incisive passing and goal-scoring prowess adding more creativity and open-play threat, which was missing last year. In his absence, Martin Odegaard will need to take more responsibility to break down the Coventry defense, with the Arsenal captain looking quite sharp in the pre-season so far.
Arsenal’s 11 vs Coventry
Arteta has gone full-strength to start the season, with Rice, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz all starting.
Arsenal 11: David Raya; Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhães, Christian Mosquera, Ben White; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18Bruno Guimarães’s injury is an early setback for Arsenal’s title defense, as he was signed to add creativity, incisive passing, and goal-scoring prowess to the team’s attack, which was reportedly missing last year. His absence means Martin Odegaard will need to take on more responsibility to break down defenses.
Ask News18August 21, 2026, 23:06 IST
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