Guimaraes debut, left-wing progress, and more: Everything that could happen at Arsenal this week

Arsenal still have plenty of work to do in the transfer market this summer, and with the season fast approaching, movement is expected to ensue on a deal or two this week.

The Gunners suffered back-to-back defeats in their pre-season schedule last week, first being beaten by Real Betis in Dublin and then by Borussia Dortmund in their Emirates homecoming. Cesc Fabregas' Como await on Wednesday, and Mikel Arteta will be desperate for his team to end this friendly rot to ensure the vibes aren't damaged before heading to Cardiff for the Community Shield on Sunday.

On the transfer front, the Gunners need to step up their pursuit of forward targets. Bruno Guimaraes' switch from Newcastle became official last week, joining Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier as the club's new additions this summer.

However, the attack still needs reinforcements, and this week could be critical in that regard.

With that said, here's a look at everything that might happen at Arsenal in the next seven days.

Bruno Guimaraes set to make his Arsenal debut

Guimaraes was brought out to a warm reception at the Emirates on Sunday, with murmurs of 'Bruno' ringing round the Gunners' home. Having only arrived in North London a few days before the clash with Dortmund, he was never in line to feature against the German side.

However, having now spent three or four days training with his teammates, he is almost certainly set to make his debut in a red and white shirt this week. Whether it's a short cameo against Como, or a half against City at the Millennium Stadium, Arteta won't hesitate to throw the Brazilian in from the outset.

Arsenal have been seriously short on senior midfield options throughout pre-season thus far, with so many of their players in this department reaching the latter stages of the World Cup. Myles Lewis-Skelly desperately needs some support in the middle of the park, and Guimaraes is capable of providing it.

Arteta needs to start building the relationships between the new signing and his midfield teammates, so he should grant him his debut as soon as he's physically ready, which ought to be this week.

Pursuit of a left-winger to hot up

Since failing to secure Vinicius Junior, there have been few concrete reports linking Arsenal to alternative wide forward targets. The likes of Kenan Yildiz and Iliman Ndiaye have been loosely mooted as options, although a credible source is yet to report the Gunners' interest in either player.

That should change over the next seven days. The season is just over a week away from commencing, and thus, Andrea Berta cannot afford to sit around any longer without making a serious move for a winger.

Yildiz may end up being the most appealing option on the market. The 21-year-old Turkey international shone for Juventus last season, scoring 14 goals and providing ten assists across all competitions. He may not be the perfect candidate to fill Arsenal's left-wing void, but he has the potential to develop into something special, making this prospective deal a smart investment.

Julian Alvarez future to become clear

Arsenal aren't just being mentioned in conversations around wingers. The Gunners are continually being linked with Julian Alvarez, and there is reason to believe something could develop on this front in the coming days.

Alvarez has been away on holiday after reaching the World Cup final, but returned to Atletico Madrid's training camp on Monday.

Reports in Spain maintain that Atletico won't sell to Barcelona, Alvarez's purported dream destination, but they may be open to sanctioning the Argentine's departure if the destination is North London or Paris.

Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on the signing of Ferran Torres, which could leave the Gunners as the sole potential suitors for Alvarez. The 26-year-old is supposedly set to hold crunch talks with Diego Simeone over his future in the next few days.

Important fixtures to play

Away from transfer activity, the football starts to get serious this week. While pre-season is mostly about building up fitness, Arteta won't want negative results in these friendlies to effect morale and bleed into the start of the real campaign.

Como will be a challenging test for the Spaniard's side, although he should have more of a senior group to select from, with several players finally returning to training following their post-World Cup holidays.

Viktor Gyokeres told the media after Sunday's Emirates Cup that Arsenal certainly won't be treating the Community Shield like a friendly. Expect an intense game in Wales, as Arteta's battle against new City boss Enzo Maresca begins.

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