Bruno Guimarães keeps a top hat at home, a gift from Newcastle fans inscribed with “Bruno’s magic hat” – a memento of the chant in which he proudly declared he “could have signed for Arsenal” but chose the black and white instead. Four and a half years after his arrival from Lyon, the Brazilian has now intimated his wish to move to the red half of north London.
Arsenal have reached an agreement for the midfielder, whose departure would mark the latest in a series of high-profile exits from St James’ Park. In the past 12 months alone, Newcastle have lost Sandro Tonali to Tottenham in a deal worth up to £100m, Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £69.3m, and Alexander Isak. The club, fresh from a settlement with Uefa, have needed to sell to create headroom to spend within financial rules.
“Bruno Guimarães, Newcastle's talisman, has signalled his wish to join Arsenal after an agreement was reached.”
Turning 29 in November, Guimarães remains the team’s beating heart. Opta data shows Newcastle’s win percentage plummets from 50.7% with him to 12.5% without him; their points per game drop from 1.7 to 0.7, average goals for from 1.9 to 0.8, and average goals against rise from 1.3 to 1.6. Only two of the 16 Premier League games he has missed since joining have been won.
Season-ticket holder Liam Phillips said he would be “absolutely devastated” if Guimarães leaves, describing his 2022 arrival as a signal of “hope and ambition”. “His departure would be very symbolic in terms of what it says about the trajectory of the project,” Phillips added. “Newcastle have lost Isak, Gordon and Tonali in the last 12 months. To lose Bruno would be very alarming.”
A vision was set out to Guimarães when he joined a club fighting relegation. Now, with the captain seemingly on his way out, that vision faces its sternest test.