Arsenal have completed the £75m transfer signing of Brazilian midfielder, Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.
Guimaraes’ move has ended his four-and-a-half year stay at Newcastle where he registered 31 goals and 28 assists in 195 appearances, and helped the Magpies end their 70-year domestic trophy drought with title success in the 2024-25 Carabao Cup.
He also was part of a squad that qualified twice for the Champions League with top-five Premier League finishes but decided to move on for a fresh challenge at Arsenal, with negotiations having been held between both clubs and player for an extensive period this summer.
Newcastle eventually accepted a £75m offer from Arsenal but will only receive £67.6m due to a 20% sell-on clause in his move from Lyon in January 2022, with the French club set to collect £7.4m as part of the transfer.
Guimaraes has signed a long-term contract at Arsenal – reported to be a four-year length until June 2030 with option for a further year – and will wear the number 39 shirt like he had done at Newcastle.
In a farewell message to Newcastle fans via the club’s website, Guimaraes thanked the Magpies for their support and spoke proudly of their progress together.
“This is one of the toughest decisions of my life. When I arrived, the club was in a challenging position and I am incredibly proud of what we achieved together.
“I fell in love with this place. I really mean that. From my first day, the supporters, my teammates, Eddie and the staff, and everyone connected with the club made me and my family feel at home.
“I thank PIF, our chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Jamie Reuben for everything they have done for me and for this football club. I also want to say thank you to David and Ross for the huge respect to me throughout this process. They did everything they could to keep me at Newcastle, and I am very grateful for our time together.
“This move is very tough because Newcastle means so much to me, but I wanted to experience something new in my life. I feel ready for a new challenge for myself and my family. I had a very positive conversation with Matthias Jaissle, and I leave knowing the club is in very good hands.
“To the supporters, thank you will never be enough, but I say it with all my heart. I will always be proud to have been part of this club’s journey. Thank you for everything.”
Arsenal’s Sporting Director, Andrea Berta meanwhile told the Gunners’ website that he is “delighted” to sign Guimaraes who he considers to be a player who will improved the leadership group within their men’s squad.
“Bruno is a player with a great mentality and great quality, who will bring strong leadership to our squad.
“With Bruno joining us, we are further strengthening the heart of our team. As we have all seen, Bruno can play as a defensive midfielder and as a box-to-box player. He combines quality with quantity, and has provided goals and assists for his team every year.
“Bruno will allow Mikel to further develop our playing style and will also increase our internal competitiveness, which is essential for maintaining the standards required when we are aiming to win major trophies.”
Guimaraes in his first interview as a Gunner revealed that he is “excited” for a new test and environment with focus on winning trophies.
“I’m at the point of my life where I need a challenge like this. I want to win trophies, I want to make history and I think I’m in the right place to do it. I’m so excited to start.”
Guimaraes that new midfield teammate, Declan Rice has messaged him pleading for no more battles now that they’re in the same team, which he considers to be one of Europe’s best.
“Rice sent me a message: ‘Come here and please no more fights, now we’re friends!’ I was happy he messaged me.
“In my point of view, is one of the best in Europe. Everyone is an amazing player.”
Guimaraes proceeded to speak of how difficult it was facing Arsenal as an oppositional player and feels that their style will suit him.
“Every time when I play against [Arsenal] it was very tough. They keep the ball, they defend like one. I think that combination is the way I like to play as well, and of course, joining the winners of the league is always a big opportunity.”
Guimaraes also teased fans that they can expect him to be a difficult midfielder to beat as he vowed to fight hard to deliver success for the club.
“I can pass the ball, run a lot and play like a warrior, I’ll never give up. I will try to help the team, good with the ball, composed, very calm, and sometimes I can score some goals and hope to make everyone very, very happy here.”
Guimaraes began his career at Audax where he graduated through their academy to make his debut in April 2015, and went on to make nine total appearances across 2015 & 17 seasons amidst spending the 2016 season with their youth team still developing his game.
He then went on an initial loan to Athletico Paranaense in May 2017 which was made a permanent transfer 10 months later, as he went on to score 10 goals in 106 appearances in a spell which saw him contribute to four title successes across his time at the club;
- 2018 Copa Sudamericana
- 2018 Campeonato Paranaense
- 2019 Copa do Brasil
- 2019 J League Cup/Copa Sudamericana Championship
Guimaraes then moved to Lyon in January 2020 – where he produced three goals in 71 appearances across a two-year stint.
At international level, Guimaraes graduated through Brazil’s youth ranks and was part of their Olympics 2020 title-winning Under-23s squad when the tournament was played in summer 2021 due to a year’s postponement caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
He however made his senior debut in November 2020 in a 2-0 away victory over Uruguay as part of Brazil’s successful 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, and has since been part of their squads at both 2022 & 26 World Cups where they lost to Croatia and Norway in Quarter-Final and Round of 16 stages respectively.
In 48 total senior caps for Brazil, Guimaraes has registered three goals and eight assists across all competitions.
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