The Brazilian was long said to have rejected Arsenal for Newcastle, but new details suggest the decision came from north London instead.
For four years, one of the most persistent stories surrounding Bruno Guimaraes was that he chose Newcastle United over Arsenal when he left Lyon in January 2022.
Now that the midfielder has finally completed his long-awaited move to north London, fresh reporting suggests that version of events was nonsense.
Arsenal confirmed Guimaraes’ arrival on Saturday, paying a reported flat £75 million fee, due in two instalments, to secure the Brazilian on what is believed to be a four-year contract.
In the aftermath of the transfer, journalists have begun revealing that the accepted narrative surrounding Guimaraes’ move to Newcastle was misleading, to put it kindly.
Rather than the player rejecting Arsenal, it now appears Arsenal decided not to complete a deal that had been within their grasp.
When Guimaraes joined Newcastle, the transfer was widely portrayed as a statement of intent from the club following its Saudi-backed takeover, with the midfielder supposedly choosing St James’ Park ahead of Arsenal.
Newcastle supporters quickly adopted the story as part of the club’s rise, even incorporating it into a chant.
According to Telegraph Sport (and others), however, the reality was rather different.
The report states Arsenal had shown serious interest in Guimaraes before his move to Newcastle (and before his move to Lyon, as we covered at the time), but the midfielder did not reject the Gunners.
Instead, it was Arsenal who stepped away from the deal around six months before he eventually arrived in the Premier League.
The report adds that, during the summer of 2021, Arsenal’s recruitment staff and senior executives were united in believing Guimaraes would be an outstanding addition to the squad. A deal with Lyon was effectively ready to be completed.
The transfer was ultimately shelved because Arsenal’s coaching staff had reservations about the midfielder and how he would adapt to the league.
Four years later, those doubts have disappeared.
After establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s outstanding midfielders during his time at Newcastle, Guimaraes has finally joined the club that had once decided against signing him.
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