Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd should have done more to stop Newcastle signing Guimaraes
Robin Bairner
- 30 Jan 2022 10:08 GMT
- 3 min read
Bruno Guimaraes is poised to complete a move to Newcastle from Lyon in the final days of the January transfer window.
An up-front fee in the region of €42m has been agreed between the clubs, with around another €10m to potentially follow in bonuses for the Brazil international.
Newcastle, though, have had a surprisingly easy time securing the 24-year-old given the number of Premier League clubs in need of central midfield reinforcements.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta commented previously that it was his target to sign a player for that area this month, while Man Utd and Chelsea have both continually been linked with more strength in that zone.
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A player worthy of the Top 6
Bruno Guimaraes is a player worthy of any of the three clubs. Indeed, he has all the characteristics of a leading Premier League midfielder. He can tackle, he can defend and he can progress the ball. He is versatile, able to fit into a number of midfield systems without losing his effectiveness, and he has shown in France that he is adaptable to new cultures.
There are no obvious weaknesses to his game, which sees him typically operate from the edge of his own box to within 10 yards of the opponents.
Why an established Top 6 club did not move for Bruno Guimaraes, who was also courted by Juventus, is something of a puzzle. Bruno will move to Newcastle, after all, for significantly less than Man Utd paid for Fred.
Certainly, these top clubs could have matched the transfer fee offered by the St James’ Park outfit, which appears reasonable value, while they could have offered the guarantee of European football to balance out the additional wages that might be offered by The Toon.
Perhaps it was his lack of Premier League experience that counted against him, or perhaps it was that these clubs did not want to be seen to be taking a risk on a relatively unknown player in the middle of the season. Maybe it was a combination of both factors.
It is a decision that all three clubs could live to regret. Bruno is the type of player who could become a mainstay at Newcastle for the next six or seven years as they seek to build a team capable of winning on all fronts.
Read more about: Ligue 1, Premier League, Arsenal, Chelsea, Lyon, Man Utd, Newcastle Utd., Bruno Guimaraes
