Arteta confirms Guimaraes and Konsa in contention for Arsenal debuts at Villa Park

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bruno Guimaraes is in contention to make his Arsenal debut when the Gunners travel to Villa Park on Monday night in their Premier League title defence, with fellow new signing Ezri Konsa also available for selection.

Guimaraes, who joined from Newcastle in a £75m deal, has been sidelined with a groin problem since before the start of the 2026/27 campaign. Arteta indicated the Brazilian could feature, saying “yes potentially” when pressed on the possibility in his pre-match press conference, while adding that the club had simply been managing his workload. “He’s been out on the pitch doing training sessions but we need to manage the load,” Arteta said.

Konsa, who joined Arsenal from Aston Villa for £50m, faces the unusual prospect of returning to his former ground for a potential debut. Arteta confirmed the centre-back had trained well and would be available for selection, though he was diplomatic when asked whether Konsa would receive a warm welcome from the Villa supporters. “I hope so, I don’t know. I’m sure that Ezri will think the same way for what he’s done for the club.”

Arteta also revealed that he played a direct role in identifying Konsa as a transfer target, though he was careful to draw a distinction between scouting and deal-making. “I don’t get involved in the deals. We get involved in identifying the players and the talent that we believe are going to make us better.”

On Jurrien Timber, Arteta offered cautious optimism, noting that the Dutchman’s training load has been increased. “If everything goes well then we can step it up again,” he said. Ben White has been deputising at right-back in Timber’s absence, including in the recent fixture against Coventry City.

The news is less encouraging for William Saliba, whose return from injury appears to be some way off. “Willy is going to take a while,” Arteta said, giving no specific timeline for the France international’s comeback.