Arsenal spent 75 million pounds to bring Bruno Guimaraes to Emirates. However, the appearance of the Brazilian midfielder also raises questions about Martin Zubimendi's role in coach Mikel Arteta's plan.
Guimaraes is considered a quality addition to Arsenal's midfield. He can play in many positions and is expected to pair with Declan Rice in Arteta's system. Meanwhile, Rice is still one of Arteta's priority choices, making Zubimendi's position less certain.
Notably, signs that Zubimendi's role may be narrowed have appeared since the end of last season. The Spanish midfielder started 34 out of 38 matches in the Premier League, but sat on the bench in 3 of the last 4 matches of the season. Even in the win against West Ham, Arteta brought Zubimendi on from the 28th minute but took him off less than 40 minutes later.
In the Champions League final against PSG, Zubimendi continued to be on the bench and was not used. In the most important match of the season, Arteta still did not use the contract once considered one of Arsenal's important factors.
The appearance of the Brazilian newcomer makes the problem even more complicated. "The Gunners" often use two defensive midfielders and a player playing in the number 10 position. Rice is almost certain to take a spot, while the fee of 75 million pounds shows that Guimaraes is also expected to play an important role.
That puts Zubimendi in a difficult position. If Arteta continues to use the familiar formation, Zubimendi will have to compete directly with Guimaraes and Rice for two midfield positions. In the case of switching to a three-midfielder system, the competition becomes even more complicated when Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Kai Havertz and young talent Max Dowman can also be considered.
This is a paradox for a team that owns too many quality players. Arsenal has returned to the group of top European teams and continues to invest heavily to narrow the gap with PSG, who defeated them in the Champions League final last season.
Guimaraes is a midfielder who can help Arsenal increase their ability to contest, pull the ball and connect lines. Having pursued Vinicius Junior also shows that Arteta wants to strongly upgrade his attack.
But the more stars they add, the more Arsenal has to face the question of who will lose their position. In the past, Arteta's squad rarely faced personnel overload in key players. Currently, any decision can make a world-class player accept a secondary role. And Zubimendi may be the first case.
