Bruno Guimaraes is officially a Gunner! Arsenal announced the signing of the Brazilian midfielder on Saturday morning with the usual fanfare. The move makes the 28-year old the most expensive transfer for a midfielder over 26 (which is, admittedly, a little bit of a silly stat).
Bruno will wear the same number 39 kit that he did at Newcastle, which he wears because it was the number of his father’s taxi in Brazil. It’s a lovely nod to the hard work and sacrifices all parents do for their family. Despair
all you kit number purists — Arsenal’s midfield next season will be Zubimendi (36), Bruno (39), Rice (41), and Lewis-Skelly (49).
According to The Athletic, Edu and Tim Lewis had the outline of a deal in place for Arsenal to buy Bruno from Lyon in January 2022, but Mikel Arteta decided against the move, which gave Newcastle the chance to sign him instead. Nearly five years later, the Gunners will pay the Magpies £75M for their captain.
It’s a solid deal for both clubs, which as Newcastle Sporting Director Ross Wilson emphasized, is what happens when you have two “sophisticated” parties negotiating. Newcastle say they didn’t want to sell but that the combination of Bruno’s desire to leave with the number Arsenal offered made it make sense. According to Wilson, Arsenal paid more than they wanted to for the Brazilian.
And Arsenal get their man. The success of the move from an Arsenal standpoint will be judged on the number of additions to the trophy cabinet over the next few seasons. It’s a win-now move. That’s fine. There are few transfer-available players in the world right now who unquestionably improve the Premier League Champions, and Bruno is one of them.
He’s the type of player you hate when he’s against you and you love when he’s on your team. He posted a lovely message to the Newcastle supporters and has already told the Arsenal supporters, “I’m ready to be your warrior.” His passion and intensity will make it easy to love him, although I’d really rather not see the on-field violence from him in an Arsenal that occasionally cropped up when the red mist descended. Hopefully Mikel Arteta is able to channel Bruno’s emotions away from conduct that is probably more likely to see him booked and sent off in an Arsenal shirt than in a Newcastle one.
Sunday’s Emirates Cup match against Dortmund is likely too early to see Bruno take the pitch for Arsenal, although he was reportedly already training with the team before the announcement. I’d expect he’ll be debuted to the stadium at halftime, like Ebere Eze was last season, before being in the squad against Como midweek.
