For Bruno Guimarães, it was a time to show his steeliness, to fix his eyes on the prize – even if he knew it would surely mean them welling up. It was a tumultuous summer for the Brazil midfielder. A fine World Cup on a personal level was marred by a crucial penalty miss in the last-16 loss against Norway.
Now he had the dream move lined up to Arsenal but it could not happen without breaking some hearts at Newcastle. Guimarães admits he lay awake at night as the emotions swirled. How could he leave Newcastle, the club where he made so many connections and enjoyed so many highs after joining from Lyon in January 2022?
There were the Champions League qualifications and, above all, the Carabao Cup triumph in 2025 that ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy. On the other hand, how could he resist Arsenal and the prospect of competing regularly for the game’s top honours? Sometimes, you simply have to take a deep breath and the plunge.
Nobody wants to die wondering. Guimarães knew the Newcastle team was breaking up. Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali had gone to Barcelona and Tottenham.
The manager, Eddie Howe, was at the end of the line and he would also leave. Guimarães went through with the £75m transfer and nobody can say it has not worked out so far. Arsenal felt he would provide a different element for them, different ways of unlocking defences.
Plus his trademark work rate and snarl. Guimarães has brought all of that. Already he has made a difference.
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