Arteta Has Already Given Bruno Guimaraes His Arsenal Identity

Sometimes a manager can tell exactly what he expects from a player before that player has even had a chance to show it. That appears to be what Mikel Arteta has done with Bruno Guimaraes.

Arsenal paid roughly £75 million to bring the Brazilian midfielder over from Newcastle United, making him one of the biggest signings in the club's history. Guimaraes arrives with plenty of experience and a reputation as one of the Premier League's best midfielders.

But Arteta has already given him something else.

An identity.

Arteta has reportedly described Bruno Guimaraes as a "warrior," and that seemingly simple choice of words could tell us quite a bit about how Arsenal intends to use him -- and how the manager wants supporters to see him.

As Euan Jones, a public relations expert at Casinos.com, told Heavy, "Calling your new signing a 'warrior' before he's even played a competitive minute is smart internal PR because it sets the emotional tone for how fans, media and even the dressing room frame him from day one."

That is an interesting observation because Arteta is generally very deliberate about the culture he is building at Arsenal.

Guimaraes isn't arriving simply as another expensive midfielder.

He's arriving as a warrior.

And that matters.

Bruno Guimaraes Already Knows What Arteta Wants

There's something else going on here.

Guimaraes already has a fairly obvious reputation. He's aggressive, competitive, technically gifted and more than willing to get stuck into a game. That's a big part of what made him so popular at Newcastle.

Arteta doesn't need to invent that identity.

He simply needs to amplify it.

The Athletic's background on the transfer makes it clear that Arsenal viewed Bruno Guimaraes as a player capable of giving Arteta more options in midfield. The 28-year-old can provide defensive bite, progression and versatility alongside a group that already includes Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi.

But calling him a warrior does something that a tactical description doesn't.

It gives supporters a story.

As Jones put it, "It's a small line, but it does a lot of work because by the time Guimaraes actually plays, supporters already have a story to project onto him rather than forming their own from scratch."

That's smart.

Because Arsenal fans aren't going to watch Bruno Guimaraes neutrally.

They've just watched their club spend £75 million on a player who was previously Newcastle's captain. Expectations are going to be enormous.

Arteta has essentially gotten out in front of those expectations.

Arteta May Have Found Arsenal's Perfect Midfield Warrior

The really interesting part is that the label actually fits what Arsenal needs.

Arteta isn't bringing Guimaraes to North London because the team desperately needed another pretty passer.

Arsenal already has those.

What the manager appears to want is someone who can bring a little bit of nastiness to the middle of the pitch while still having the technical ability to play at Arsenal's level.

That's where Guimaraes could become so valuable.

His arrival gives Arteta another way to construct the midfield depending on the opponent. It also gives Arsenal more protection for its creative players while allowing players such as Rice and Martin Ødegaard to take on different responsibilities.

And perhaps that's why the "warrior" description works so well.

Arteta isn't necessarily telling Bruno Guimaraes to become something he's not.

He's telling everyone what he already believes Guimaraes is.

That's a subtle difference.

The Brazilian has already made his debut and helped Arsenal win the Community Shield, with his energy and defensive work immediately noticeable.

Now comes the difficult part.

He has to live up to the identity.

But if Arteta has his way, Bruno Guimaraes won't simply be remembered as the £75 million midfielder Arsenal bought from Newcastle.

He'll be the warrior who helped Arsenal become a better team.

And considering what Arteta has been building in North London, that may be exactly the identity he had in mind all along.

Kaynak: Heavy. Telif hakkı kaynak yayına aittir; buradaki metin özet/atıftır.

Orijinal haber: https://heavy.com/sports/soccer/arteta-has-already-given-bruno-guimaraes-his-arsenal-identity/