Arsenal are set to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United according to reports.
The Gunners have been linked with the Brazilian midfielder over the summer, with interest appearing to pique during the World Cup.
Guimaraes was on top form at the tournament, providing four assists in five games, more than any other Brazilian player. Only Michael Olise (seven) provided more assists across the tournament, but he played eight matches.
The Brazilian has been one of the best and most complete midfielders in the Premier League since stepping foot in England four and a half years ago.
Manchester City targeted him a while back, but current champions Arsenal have won the battle.
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Why could both Bruno Guimaraes and Arsenal benefit from summer move?
Bruno ready for next step
Guimaraes joined Newcastle in 2022 and has already experienced two Champions League campaigns. The Magpies did manage to do well in the league during their first Champions League season, finishing seventh. They just missed out on European football for a second consecutive year.
But last year was different. After enjoying a solid league phase and easing past Qarabag in the playoff round, Newcastle were beaten 8-3 on aggregate by Barcelona in the round-of-16.
To make matters worse, they couldn’t take advantage of playing in one less competition and still struggled domesticall. The Mapgies lost five of their final eight Premier League matches, finishing 12th.
Guimaraes is a stand-out all-around midfielder constantly delivering 10-15 goal contributions every year. And he deserves to play in the Champions League. Newcastle haven’t been able to sustain European football consistently, so it may be time for him to go.
The 28-year-old is entering his prime and is coming off the best goalscoring season of his career (nine goals across all competitions).
With both Newcastle and the Brazil national team, he dictates how his side presses, stepping up to help the forwards or sitting deep and closing down passing lanes.
His partnerships with Sandro Tonali and Lucas Paqueta worked wonders for club and country, respectively, giving both sides a great physical profile. Arsenal could use a more relentless player alongside Declan Rice and this could be why they are after Guimaraes.
Arsenal’s midfield needs
Mikel Arteta’s team selections at the end of the season might say a lot about what he thinks of the state of Arsenal’s midfield.
Martin Zubimendi walked into the starting XI as soon as he joined the Gunners from Real Sociedad last summer. He played all 38 of their league games and started 47 of their first 55 matches across all competitions.
However, the Spaniard fell out of favour and started just one of their final six games. It was a meaningless one as well, in their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on final day having already won the title in a completely alternate lineup, just before the Champions League final.
During this summer, Zubimendi saw the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Eberechi Eze join Rice in the double pivot ahead of him. It could be an indication of Arteta’s level of satisfaction with his overall play and the desire to upgrade this position.
That’s not to say Zubimendi doesn’t have anything to offer. He is great at retaining and recycling possession, less of a ‘wildcard’ with the ball at his feet than Guimaraes, who takes more risks. And we all know how the Gunners have shown a certain aversion to risks at times.
Zubimendi and Guimaraes can both offer different things depending on what the game requires. They can also play together alongside one another. It would help ease the load off Rice’s shoulders and give him deserved rests from time to time.
Adding Guimaraes would just give Arteta more tactical flexibility and Arsenal more options and depth. The Brazilian, in return, would play more ‘meaningful’ and competitive football than he currently does at Newcastle, who will have just domestic competitions next season.
The only losers really would be the Magpies. It would be a big blow to lose both Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali in the same window.
But even then, Newcastle would get a good enough sum of money to reinvest in the squad. Tottenham Hotspur paid them a whopping £100million for the Italian and Guimaraes is reportedly fetching them £75m.