Story by Sam Dean
When Bruno Guimarães signed for Newcastle United from Lyon in January 2022, much was made of the idea that he had rejected Arsenal in favour of a move to St James’ Park. The Brazilian played along with it, posting a video on his social media pages which featured multiple newspaper headlines about Arsenal wanting to buy him.
The Newcastle fans, still delirious about the recent takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, understandably lapped it up. Their dream was to overthrow the established powers in English football, and the capture of Guimarães was regarded as a sign that they were truly ready to challenge teams of Arsenal’s stature and wealth.
Even the lyrics to the midfielder’s chant referred to the north Londoners, as Newcastle fans sang that Guimarães “could have signed for Arsenal” but chose instead to play “in the famous black and white”.
Telegraph Sport understands, however, that the reality of the situation was somewhat different from the accepted narrative in the North East. Yes, Arsenal had shown strong interest in Guimarães before he joined Newcastle. But no, he had not turned them down. In many ways it was Arsenal who turned him down, about six months before he came to the Premier League.
In the summer of 2021, Arsenal’s recruitment team and executives were largely aligned in their belief that Guimarães would be an excellent addition to their midfield. A deal with Lyon was effectively lined up and ready to go. But then it was abruptly shelved, primarily because Arsenal’s coaching staff said they had reservations about Guimarães.
Five years ago, Arsenal declined to sign Guimaraes from Lyon – Laurent Cipriani/AP
The Arsenal manager at the time was the same manager who has just approved a £75m deal to sign Guimarães – on a four-year deal with a further one-year option – in this transfer window. Evidently, Mikel Arteta and his coaches feel more confident in the Brazilian’s abilities now than they did five years ago.
Remarkably, Arsenal’s interest in Guimarães goes back even further than 2021. Eighteen months earlier, when he was still playing in Brazil, Arsenal’s recruitment team expressed their admiration for Guimarães to his club at the time, Athletico Paranaense.
Might there be some regret within Arsenal that they did not formalise their interest in Guimarães in 2020 and 2021? He certainly would have been cheaper to buy then, at that earlier stage of his career, than now. Lyon paid about £17m to sign him from Athletico Paranaense, before Newcastle agreed a deal worth up to £43m to buy him from Lyon.
The difference now, though, is that Arsenal are certain about the player they are recruiting. Before Guimarães came to the Premier League, there was always a risk that he might not adapt to the English top flight. These days, after five seasons as one of the best players in the competition, Arsenal are fully confident he can provide the qualities they need.
Guimaraes is now an oven-ready Premier League player – Serena Taylor/Getty Images
The reason for his arrival at the Emirates Stadium is clear: Arsenal need another high-class option in central midfield. Last season, Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi played so many games, at such a high intensity, that they reached the point of exhaustion. Rice played through pain for months, while Zubimendi’s form declined so sharply that he lost his place in the team in the final weeks of the campaign. Christian Norgaard was signed as the back-up option to these two players but he never earned Arteta’s faith, barely played and has been allowed to leave for Everton.
Arsenal simply cannot put the same demands on Rice and Zubimendi this season. By adding Guimarães, they have bought an experienced player who can reduce the load on those two midfielders. With Myles Lewis-Skelly seemingly regarded as a midfielder, rather than as a left-back, Arsenal theoretically go into the new campaign with four deep-lying central players who are trusted by Arteta.
Declan Rice was running on fumes towards the end of the season – Stuart MacFarlane/Getty Images
Will Guimarães be the first-choice option to start alongside Rice in the biggest games? One would assume so, given the size of the fee that Arsenal have paid, but that remains to be seen. Lewis-Skelly ended last season in possession of that shirt and was excellent in crucial matches in both the Premier League and Champions League. And if Zubimendi can rediscover his form from the first half of the campaign, he will be difficult to displace.
Guimarães has shown at Newcastle that he can also operate higher up the field, and his offensive threat could help to make Arsenal a more free-flowing attacking outfit. Last season he scored nine goals in all competitions for Newcastle, compared with Rice’s five and Zubimendi’s six at Arsenal.
Guimarães is one of the Premier League’s most complete midfielders. This is a player who offers defence-splitting passes, consistent goal threat and tireless defensive running. Last season he won more duels and tackles per 90 minutes than any of Arsenal’s midfield players. He is also a leader, who was adored by the Newcastle fans for his ferocious competitiveness and willingness to battle.
He is durable, too. Guimarães has made at least 40 club appearances in each of his past four seasons, and has played 45 matches for Brazil since the start of 2022.
All of it points towards the 28-year-old being a ready-made, all-round force. After finally completing a move that was six years in the making, Guimarães will now look to prove he can replicate his performances at a higher level. And show Arsenal that he was worth the wait
