Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal remain actively engaged in the search for additional signings, but he also cautioned that the pool of players capable of elevating the club to the next tier is relatively limited. The Gunners recently experienced disappointment when their pursuit of Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior fell through after the Brazilian chose to extend his contract in Madrid, and they also missed out on another high‑profile target, Morgan Rogers, who ultimately completed a move to Chelsea from Aston Villa earlier this summer. Despite those setbacks, Arsenal secured the £75 million acquisition of Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães on Saturday. Guimarães made his first appearance for the club in Wednesday’s friendly against Como at the Emirates Stadium, but the quest for further attacking reinforcement is far from over.
"There is more that we want to do because every time we have an opportunity to improve the squad and bring more quality and depth to the squad, we need to do that," Arteta explained. "We are actively trying to do so. The thing in the market is that it doesn't just depend on you.
We are very clear on that." He added that the club’s ambition, willingness and desire are unquestionable, even though the final outcome cannot be guaranteed because many factors lie outside Arsenal’s control. "But we cannot promise that we're going to do it because it doesn't only depend on us," he said.
The Premier League champions have been linked with Atletico Madrid’s Julian Álvarez and Paris Saint‑Germain’s Bradley Barcola, indicating that the hunt for a marquee forward will likely continue deep into the transfer window. "I think for the margins to improve, there are very few players in the market that are available to do that and bring that to the club," Arteta noted, before reaffirming that the scouting and recruitment process is ongoing. "But again, we are actively looking to improve that and we're going to try." When questioned about whether such high‑profile signings could disrupt Arsenal’s wage structure, Arteta deferred to sporting director Andrea Berta and the board, stating, "I'll leave that question to [sporting director] Andrea [Berta] and the board. My job is more to focus on getting the best out of the players that we have, to create that connection between them and to make every player feel important, regardless of the wages." Arteta expressed satisfaction with Guimarães’ debut against Como.
The Brazilian midfielder entered at half‑time, just four days after arriving from Newcastle, and impressed enough to be considered for a starting role in the upcoming Community Shield clash with Manchester City. "Let's see," Arteta said. "He only had three training sessions, but he looked good.
He was really pushing to play some minutes. I think he wanted to get his debut and the feeling of playing in front of our fans immediately. And you sense immediately, I believe, a strong connection at play that is going to make us better." The young forward Myles Lewis‑Skelly, who has been linked with a possible departure following Guimarães’ arrival, also featured in the friendly.
Chelsea reportedly inquired about him, and Manchester United have long expressed interest. Lewis‑Skelly scored Arsenal’s goal against Como, celebrating with a heartfelt gesture toward the home crowd.
Arteta praised his emotional response, saying, "It's good to score a goal, you should be emotional when you score a goal. He's a very emotional player. I remember when he did all the gestures on the pitch [last season]." He refrained from commenting on any transfer speculation surrounding the youngster, noting that interest itself is a positive sign of Arsenal’s growing reputation. "If there is a speculation about our player, it's a good sign.
That means that we attract attention and they're doing a good job," Arteta remarked. Arteta also highlighted Lewis‑Skelly’s solid pre‑season performances, noting that the coaching staff experimented with his position, deploying him more as a deep‑lying midfielder (a "six") to cover for the absence of regular central midfielders due to international duties.
"I think he had a really good pre‑season. I think we asked him to play in a different position, because he played more as a six, because we lacked central midfielders, obviously with international duties, and I think he had a really consistent pre‑season." Overall, Arteta’s comments paint a picture of a club that is eager to strengthen its roster but fully aware of the constraints of the market.
While Arsenal have already added a quality player in Guimarães, the management acknowledges that securing another top‑tier attacker will require patience, strategic negotiation, and perhaps a bit of luck. The manager’s focus remains on fostering unity within the squad, maximizing the potential of existing players, and maintaining a wage structure that supports long‑term stability.
As the transfer window progresses, Arsenal fans can expect continued monitoring of potential targets, with the ultimate goal of assembling a squad capable of challenging for major honours both domestically and in Europe.