Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal: The £75 Million Midfield Masterpiece That Could Transform Arteta’s Team

Arsenal’s pursuit of Bruno Guimarães is not difficult to understand.

For several seasons, the Brazilian has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most complete midfielders. He can dictate the rhythm of a match, survive intense physical battles, recover possession and move the ball through pressure. At the same time, he offers something more than defensive security: goals, assists, progressive passing and the personality to take control when a game becomes chaotic.

Now, after a long period of interest, Arsenal appear to be closing in on the Newcastle United captain.

According to BBC journalist Sami Mokbel, negotiations between the two clubs have reached an advanced stage, with the main elements of the transfer effectively agreed. Guimarães is reportedly waiting for permission to leave Newcastle’s training camp in Spain so that he can complete the formalities required for his move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal are also preparing to conduct his medical examination during the week.

Although neither club has officially confirmed the final price, the transfer could reportedly be worth as much as £75 million. Newcastle and Arsenal have continued discussing the structure and final conditions of the deal, but a formal announcement now appears to be largely procedural.

Should the move be completed, Guimarães would join an Arsenal midfield already filled with high-level options.

Mikel Arteta can currently call upon Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Ødegaard, Mikel Merino and the increasingly influential Myles Lewis-Skelly. That depth immediately creates an important tactical question: where exactly would Guimarães play?

The answer may be one of the main reasons Arsenal want him so badly.

Guimarães is capable of operating as either a defensive midfielder or a more advanced central midfielder. He has spent significant periods of his career playing as a number six, receiving the ball in front of the defense and helping his team construct attacks. However, he has never hidden the fact that he feels most comfortable as a number eight.

Speaking to Sky Sports in October 2022, when Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was regularly using him at the base of midfield, Guimarães explained that he preferred playing slightly further forward.

He acknowledged that the number-six position was what Newcastle needed from him at the time. His responsibility was to collect the ball, carry it forward and find the team’s wingers and strikers. Yet he also made it clear that, given the choice, he considered himself a number eight.

That willingness to adapt is important.

Guimarães did not complain about being asked to play deeper. Instead, he accepted the tactical responsibility because it helped the team. For Arteta, who consistently demands positional flexibility and tactical intelligence from his players, that attitude could be just as valuable as the Brazilian’s technical ability.

When Sandro Tonali later became Newcastle’s primary holding midfielder, Guimarães was able to return to a more advanced role. Even then, his responsibilities were never limited to one specific area of the pitch. He appeared on the right and left of midfield, dropped deep to support the build-up and pushed forward to connect with the attack.

His Premier League positional data reflects that versatility. Although he has frequently started at the base of midfield, he has also spent considerable time operating as both a right-sided and left-sided number eight.

At Arsenal, that flexibility could give Arteta several different midfield structures.

Even when Guimarães played as a number six for Newcastle, he was rarely instructed to remain permanently in front of the center-backs. Newcastle often created rotations that allowed him to move into attacking positions.

In 2022, the midfielder explained that Dan Burn’s role at left-back was important to this system. Burn could move inside and provide additional protection, giving Guimarães the freedom to push higher and support the attack.

The results were clear.

During the 2022–23 Premier League season, Guimarães produced four goals and five assists despite frequently being deployed as the deepest midfielder. In the following campaign, he improved his attacking contribution to seven goals and eight assists.

Across 153 Premier League appearances for Newcastle, he has registered 30 goals and 25 assists. Those numbers underline why he cannot be viewed simply as a defensive midfielder. He is capable of influencing every phase of a match.

Arsenal already possess full-backs who can move into central areas during possession. That tactical mechanism could once again allow Guimarães to advance from a deeper starting position. However, Arteta may also choose another solution: pairing him with Declan Rice in a double pivot.

On paper, Rice appears to be an ideal partner.

Rice spent much of the previous campaign playing as a left-sided number eight, with Zubimendi positioned behind him. Toward the end of the season, however, Rice moved deeper and played on the right side of a midfield partnership alongside Lewis-Skelly, who impressed after stepping into central areas.

That combination worked because Rice could cover enormous distances without losing his positional discipline. He had the energy to move from one penalty area to the other, but he also understood when to remain deep and protect the defense.

Guimarães possesses many of the same qualities.

Both players are physically strong, tactically intelligent and capable of carrying the ball through pressure. Both can defend aggressively, but neither is limited to defensive work. Together, they could give Arsenal a midfield partnership able to dominate duels, resist pressing and launch attacks.

Rice has already demonstrated his willingness to provide defensive cover for teammates. Even when playing as a number eight, he frequently dropped back to protect Zubimendi. That support allowed the Spanish midfielder greater freedom to move forward, contributing five Premier League goals despite officially operating as the number six.

A Rice-Guimarães partnership could offer Arteta even more flexibility.

With the pair operating as a double pivot, Arsenal could use Ødegaard or Eberechi Eze as a conventional number ten. That would allow the attacking midfielder to focus on creating chances between the lines while Rice and Guimarães controlled the areas behind him.

Guimarães could also provide cover when Rice needs to rest or is unavailable. The Brazilian could drop into the number-six position, allowing Rice and Zubimendi to play further forward as number eights.

Alternatively, Arteta could choose a more powerful three-man midfield.

Zubimendi could remain at the base, with Rice on the left and Guimarães on the right. Such a trio might appear less creative than a midfield containing Ødegaard, but it would give Arsenal an enormous advantage in physical contests and midfield control.

Crucially, Guimarães is also a far more creative passer than his reputation sometimes suggests.

His passing numbers are remarkably close to those of Ødegaard. During the previous season, Guimarães averaged approximately 8.6 line-breaking passes per 90 minutes, almost identical to the Arsenal captain’s output and higher than the numbers recorded by Rice and Zubimendi.

His volume of forward passes was also comparable to Ødegaard’s, while his passing accuracy was reportedly even better.

That does not mean Guimarães would replace everything Ødegaard offers. The Norwegian remains a specialist in finding space near the penalty area and creating opportunities in crowded attacking zones. However, Guimarães could help compensate for the absence of a traditional playmaker by breaking defensive lines from deeper positions.

For Arsenal, the proposed £75 million investment would therefore be about much more than signing another central midfielder.

Guimarães would offer leadership, Premier League experience, physical resilience and tactical flexibility. He could play as a number six, a number eight or as part of a double pivot. He could protect the defense, advance the ball and contribute in the final third.

Most importantly, he could form a partnership with Rice capable of giving Arsenal control in almost any type of match.

Arteta’s team have spent recent seasons moving closer to the biggest prizes in English and European football. The possible arrival of Bruno Guimarães would represent another major step in that evolution—a signing designed not merely to add depth, but to reshape Arsenal’s midfield and strengthen their pursuit of the Premier League title.