Imagine being a kid supporting Arsenal at school these days
Premier League winners. Midfield of Rice and Bruno G
I was repping Coquelin, Denilson and Torreira bro. Every summer we were crying bc we never replaced Vieira😭😭😭😭
They don’t realise how good they got it
Last season, Bruno Guimaraes featured in the Premier League Team of the Season in the midfield but according to haters he’s a road runner and overpriced 😂😂😂
🚨 Newcastle United to sanction sale of Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal for £75m. #AFC started lower, #NUFC wanted higher but compromise in process of being sealed to grant 28yo Brazil int’l midfielder desired move. Lyon entitled to 20% of profit @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/e1rrfvZTMS
Fernandinho joined Man City when he was 28 - won 13 trophies, 5 league titles.
Samuel Eto’o joined Inter when he was 28 - won the treble.
Pavel Nedvěd joined Juventus when he was 28 - won 2 league titles and a Balon D'Or.
George Weah joined Milan when was 28 - won 2 league titles and a Balon D'Or.
David Villa joined Barca when he was 28 - won 2 league titles and the UCL.
Diego Forlan to Atleti, Aubameyang to Arsenal, Zlatan to Milan, Anelka to Chelsea. The list is endless.
Anyone citing age as a concern for Bruno G needs to look at history.
He is here to win now and go down in the history books of Arsenal.
I've been watching a lot of Bruno Guimarães clips since the deal got closer, and one thing has really stood out to me.
I genuinely believe Arsenal didn't just sign Bruno because he's press-resistant, aggressive or technically brilliant. I think he was specifically signed to maximize two players in this squad: Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyökeres.
Watch the clip in the comments carefully. One thing Bruno does exceptionally well is spotting runs before most players even think about making the pass. He constantly looks for teammates attacking the space behind the opposition defence, and more importantly, he has the confidence and technique to release that ball early.
That is literally one of Gyökeres' biggest strengths.
At Sporting, Gyökeres made a living from those runs. He stretches defences, attacks the channels relentlessly and finishes with conviction. Last season at Arsenal, I honestly felt Arteta didn't play enough to that strength. We often saw Gyökeres making those runs, but the pass rarely came. Ødegaard, as brilliant as he is, hardly picked him out consistently. The player that attempted it the most was Eze whenever they combined, but it simply wasn't enough.
Now imagine someone like Bruno behind him.
Every time Gyökeres starts that run, Bruno will already be scanning for it. That's a combination that could easily produce goals on a regular basis.
The same goes for Martinelli.
If you go back and watch most of Martinelli's Premier League goals last season, you'll notice a pattern. A huge percentage of them came from making perfectly timed runs behind the backline after someone found him early. His pace becomes almost impossible to defend when the timing of the pass is right.
That's exactly the type of pass Bruno loves to play.
For me, this signing isn't just about improving Arsenal's midfield. It's about unlocking two of our biggest attacking weapons by finally giving them a midfielder who naturally looks for those forward runs instead of always recycling possession.
People will talk about Bruno's ball-winning ability, leadership and intensity, and rightly so. But I honestly think his biggest impact at Arsenal could be the number of chances he creates simply by recognising runs that others often ignore.
Martinelli and Gyökeres should be smiling, because I genuinely think they're the two biggest winners from this signing.
Midfield depth of Declan Rice, Bruno Guimarães, Martin Ødegaard, Eberechi Eze, Myles Lewis Skelly, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, Max Dowman & Ethan Nwaneri.
I remember having to watch Emery playing Lucas Torreira as a number ten.
Mikel Arteta, you have changed my life.
🚨 Arsenal nearing total agreement with Newcastle United to sign Bruno Guimaraes. Desire among all parties to bring situation to close + deal now on course for completion - 28yo awaiting #NUFC permission to undergo medical & seal #AFC switch @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/FA65Uh0Nfr