Arsenal have completed the £75million signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United. The 28-year-old Brazilian midfielder becomes their fourth arrival of the transfer window, following the permanent deal for Piero Hincapie and the signings of Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier.
Guimaraes has signed a four-year contract with Arsenal, which includes the option of a further 12 months. The transfer takes Arsenal's summer spend to around £145m as they build on last season's Premier League title and Champions League final appearance.
Guimaraes expressed excitement after completing his move to Emirates Stadium. "I feel good, I feel amazing. I'm glad for the opportunity," Guimaraes said. "Since the first time I spoke to (Andrea) Berta and Mikel (Arteta), I was excited. I just felt inside of me that I need a new challenge in my life and I think to be an Arsenal player is going to be an exciting challenge in my life."
The World Cup star noted that the move comes at a key point in his career. "Well I think, after playing two World Cups, I think I'm at the point of my life, I think I need a challenge like this," Guimaraes said. "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. We have tough games to play this season, so the squad is going to be very, very important and I'm hopeful we can achieve our dreams."
Arsenal squad reactions
Guimaraes revealed that members of the Arsenal squad had already been in contact with him prior to the move. "Big Gabi (Gabriel) was very excited," Guimaraes said. "Every time he sent me the message, "We’ll wait for you, when will you come?" I'm so excited to join them, not only the Brazilians, we have an amazing squad here."
Midfielder Declan Rice also sent a message to his new teammate. "(Declan) Rice sent me a message: "Come here and please no more fights, now we're friends". I was happy he messaged me, but the midfield we have here, in my point of view, is one of the best in Europe. Everyone is an amazing player, I'm so excited to start chatting and play, and know the players very, very well, but we have an amazing midfield."
Sporting director assessment
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta welcomed the arrival of the midfielder. "We are delighted to welcome Bruno Guimaraes to our club," Berta said. "Bruno is a player with a great mentality and great quality, who will bring strong leadership to our squad."
Berta highlighted the versatile qualities Guimaraes brings to the team. "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," Berta said. "He combines quality with quantity, and has provided goals and assists for his team every year."
Berta added that the signing supports the manager's tactical options and squad depth. "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," Berta said.
Newcastle United transfer background
The transfer marks another major departure for Newcastle United from St James' Park. Newcastle had already sold Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali during the transfer window before manager Eddie Howe stepped down from his role.
Guimaraes had been an important player for Newcastle since joining the club for £40m in 2022. However, the midfielder told Newcastle in July that he wanted to join Arsenal.
Daily Mail Sport revealed on June 25 that Newcastle were braced for an offer from Arsenal after leading agents were instructed to explore the midfielder's options. With two years remaining on his contract plus an option for an extra year, Newcastle were able to command a strong £75m fee.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was keen to strengthen his central midfield options despite already having Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Fabio Vieira in the squad.
