Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has praised new signing Bruno Guimaraes, calling the Brazil international a "warrior" after his influential display in the Gunners' Premier League victory over Sunderland. The midfielder scored a stunning strike, combined with Mikel Merino, and played Bukayo Saka through to win a late penalty at the Stadium of Light.
Raya's verdict on Guimaraes
Speaking after the match, Raya said: "It is incredible. Obviously, Bruno has been very unlucky with his start. He had two little injuries that kept him out of the team. It is not only the starters, but the people coming from the bench who are really important."
"We had Bruno scoring, and then he and Merino made the pass for Bukayo to win the pen. The whole squad is going to be very important throughout the season."
Pointing out the 28-year-old's physicality, Raya added: "He brings a lot of things. He brings maturity, competitiveness and leadership. He is a warrior, but he is so technically gifted. He reads the game very, very well, and he will put his life [on the line] to defend and attack. He is a fantastic player to have with us - and hopefully he stays free of injury so we can enjoy him a lot."
Arteta warned over Gyokeres
Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere has warned Mikel Arteta that he is not utilising Viktor Gyokeres correctly, saying the club won't get the best out of the Swedish striker on the bench. Speaking to LiveFootballTickets.com, Aliadiere said: "I think he's just got to be patient, keep the faith, have a strong mindset and mentality and really believe in his quality and that he will turn things around."
"Obviously, I know how difficult it is when suddenly you're not playing and you're on the bench and you don't really understand why. When you look at it, he was the top scorer last year. Obviously there was some criticism and people expected more for the money invested, but in the end he did deliver. I think he scored some important goals and he gives you something different."
"My only concern is that I just feel we're not playing the style that suits him, and that's more my concern. Mikel always seems to go back to Havertz. Even after Havertz was out for a long time, he brought Havertz back in for the big games because Havertz fits the way we play and the style we play."
"We're not a team that, in transition, just hits the long ball straight away for the striker to run the channels. That's not really what we do. We like possession, we like to keep the ball and we like to go wide to our wingers. I do feel sometimes, particularly last season, Viktor struggled because he wanted the ball quickly, to be one-v-one with a defender and run the channel, and he never really got that service."
Despite sticking up for Gyokeres, Aliadiere couldn't predict what Arteta could do to fit the striker into the team more than he is now. He added: "So my question is more: can we play with him in this team?"
"And we can't deny when we watch the games that when Havertz plays, he performs and does really well. It's tough to justify saying Viktor should be in and Havertz should be on the bench when Havertz is doing so well."
