Bruno Guimaraes has delayed his flight to Newcastle’s training camp in Spain, but will join up with his teammates if Arsenal cannot complete a deal by Monday.
It’s the latest twist in a Newcastle summer that’s gone from bad to worse. Eddie Howe left St James’ Park this week following a 4-1 pre-season defeat to Bristol City, with the club selling both Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £69.3m and midfielder Sandro Tonali to Tottenham in a deal that could reach £100m.
Howe’s exit came just 25 days before Newcastle’s season opener against Liverpool on August 23, leaving the club in genuine turmoil heading into the new campaign.
Newcastle departures | Nationality | New Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Sandro Tonali | Italy | Tottenham | £100m |
Anthony Gordon | England | Barcelona | £69m |
Joe White | England | Crewe Alexandra | Undisclosed |
Matt Targett | England | Hull City | Free |
Kieran Trippier | England | Wolves | Free |
Emil Krafth | Sweden | Released | Free |
John Ruddy | England | Released | Free |
Harrison Ashby | Scotland | Luton Town | Loan |
Add Bruno’s looming departure into the mix and it’s been a brutal few weeks on Tyneside. Alexander Isak’s exit to Liverpool last summer already stripped Newcastle of one totem, and now the club is facing losing two thirds of their lynchpin midfield in one summer, with doubts even beginning to surface about Joelinton’s happiness with the current project.
Indeed, Newcastle are trying to rebuild around a younger core. Bazoumana Toure, a 20-year-old Ivory Coast winger, arrived from Hoffenheim, while Aladji Bamba has joined from Monaco to bolster a midfield seemingly being stripped of top level experience.
On the touchline, Matthias Jaissle of Al Ahli is the favourite to replace Howe, with Newcastle hopeful a deal will be completed imminently and already picking out signings for the new boss.
A young, progressive appointment that fits the direction the club wants to take, Jaissle has a stunning record in Saudi Arabia and before that flew through the Red Bull coaching ranks, learning from the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Ralf Rangnick.
Still, the new man in charge will have some serious work to do with a side seemingly set to lose its talisman.
Bruno Guimaraes sets Arsenal deadline
According to Ben Jacobs, sources close to Bruno say he has asked to delay his flight to the club’s La Manga pre-season base while a move to Arsenal is finalised.
Jacobs was careful to draw a distinction with Isak’s saga last summer however – If Arsenal can’t get a deal done in the coming days, Bruno will not go on strike and will return for Monday’s sessions with no stand-off.
For Arsenal, the calculation is straightforward. While Newcastle sources have long insisted the move a non-starter, there is a feeling a bid in the region of £80m would be enough to get a deal over the line.
Mikel Arteta has long coveted a genuine ball-carrying, tempo-setting midfielder to sit alongside Declan Rice, and few in the Premier League offer Bruno’s blend of aggression, press-resistance and leadership. At 28, with two Premier League seasons of proven top-four form behind him, he’d walk straight into Arteta’s first XI.
Arsenal’s new-look midfield? | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Declan Rice | Defensive/box-to-box | First-choice pivot, record signing |
Martin Zubimendi | Defensive midfield | Up and down first season but crucial metronome in the middle |
Bruno Guimaraes* | Midfield anchor/carrier | Target from Newcastle, adds ball-carrying and press-resistance |
Martin Odegaard | Attacking midfield | Captain, creative hub |
Mikel Merino | Central/box-to-box | Squad rotation, used as a super sub in forward positions |
Eberechi Eze | Attacking midfield | Competes with Odegaard for the No. 10, can play off the left |
Christian Norgaard | Defensive midfield | Depth option, signed from Brentford |
Myles Lewis-Skelly | Central/left midfield | Homegrown, flexible across midfield and defence |
He’s certainly not lacking admirers among those who’ve worked with and against him either. Pep Guardiola once called Guimaraes a “genius” and praised his performance after a Manchester City win, while pundits have circled his availability for years.
TalkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara predicted back in 2024 that “Bruno will go to Arsenal as well”, while former Newcastle defender Steve Howey recently admitted it “would be disappointing” if the club’s big names kept leaving, sentiment that feels sharper than ever now that Tonali, Gordon and Howe are already out the door.
So the situation is simple. Arsenal have days, not weeks, to get a deal over the line. Miss the window, and Bruno reports for Newcastle training as if nothing happened. Get it done, and Arteta lands the midfielder he’s chased for years.
