Bruno Guimaraes made his Arsenal debut as the Gunners drew 1-1 with Como in their final pre-season fixture at Emirates Stadium.
The £75m signing from Newcastle United was introduced at half-time after Arsenal took the lead through Myles Lewis-Skelly in the first half.
Como equalised before the break through an excellent strike from Martin Baturina, leaving Arsenal unable to find a winner during the second half.
Guimaraes’ arrival was greeted enthusiastically by the home supporters, with chants of “Bruno” ringing around the Emirates as the Brazil international came onto the pitch.
The midfielder showed his combative qualities early in his Arsenal career, producing a recovery tackle to halt a Como counter-attack before calmly playing the ball back to David Raya.
Guimaraes makes Arsenal debut in draw with ComoThere were also encouraging signs of an understanding with captain Martin Odegaard, while Guimaraes increasingly operated as the deepest midfielder as Arsenal made further changes.
The 28-year-old attempted to unlock the Como defence with several passes over the top, including one that found Kai Havertz, although the German’s finish was ruled out for offside.
Guimaraes also converted his penalty in the subsequent shootout as Arsenal won 4-3 after the friendly finished level.
Arteta was pleased with the midfielder’s first appearance but stopped short of confirming whether he would start Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City.
“Let’s see. He only had three training sessions. But he looked good,” Arteta said.
“He was really pushing to play some minutes today. I think he wanted to get his debut and the feeling of playing in front of our fans immediately.”
Arteta added that Guimaraes had immediately established “a really strong connection” with the supporters and would improve the team.
Arsenal now turn their attention to the Community Shield, with their competitive campaign beginning against Manchester City.
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