Bruno Guimaraes has completed his move from Newcastle United to Arsenal (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Bruno Guimaraes has completed his move from Newcastle United to Arsenal (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
BRUNO Guimaraes says he "wanted to experience something new" as he explained his reasoning behind leaving Newcastle United for Arsenal, with the £75m transfer confirmed on Saturday.
Bruno says it was "very tough" to leave the Magpies after "falling in love" with the city.
And after a conversation with new boss Matthias Jaissle, the Brazilian believes he leaves a club "in very good hands".
Newcastle said in a statement that "the agreed fee represents one of the top ten highest transfer fees ever received for a player aged 28 or over, and a record fee for a player of his age and position combined".
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But losing Guimaraes is still a hammer blow for the Magpies, particularly on the back of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon leaving the club this summer.
Newcastle are now stepping up their efforts to replace Bruno, with former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg one of the players under consideration.
Although Newcastle have shifted their transfer approach this summer and targeted young and upcoming players deemed to have big potential, there's an awareness of the need for experience after the exit of the captain.
Højbjerg, 31, would be available for between £10m and £15m from Marseille.
Newcastle will start life without Bruno when they take on Valencia tonight in Jaissle's first game in charge.
The Magpies will also be without Lewis Hall, who travelled home on Friday because of a minor injury. The left-back is expected to be involved against Everton on Wednesday in Edinburgh. Lewis Miley and Fabian Schar will also be missing for the Magpies tonight.
Bruno has signed what Arsenal describe as a "long term" contract.
He said of his Newcastle exit: "This is one of the toughest decisions of my life. When I arrived, the club was in a challenging position and I am incredibly proud of what we achieved together.
"I fell in love with this place. I really mean that. From my first day, the supporters, my teammates, Eddie and the staff, and everyone connected with the club made me and my family feel at home.
"I thank PIF, our chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Jamie Reuben for everything they have done for me and for this football club. I also want to say thank you to David and Ross for the huge respect to me throughout this process. They did everything they could to keep me at Newcastle, and I am very grateful for our time together.
"This move is very tough because Newcastle means so much to me, but I wanted to experience something new in my life. I feel ready for a new challenge for myself and my family. I had a very positive conversation with Matthias Jaissle, and I leave knowing the club is in very good hands.
"To the supporters, thank you will never be enough, but I say it with all my heart. I will always be proud to have been part of this club's journey. Thank you for everything."
The midfielder says he wants to "make history" in North London.
“I feel good, I feel amazing. I’m glad for the opportunity," he 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.
“I think after playing two World Cups, I’m at the point of my life, I think I need a challenge like this.
“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."
Andrea Berta, Arsenal's sporting director, said: “We are delighted to welcome Bruno Guimaraes to our club.
“Bruno is a player with a great mentality and great quality, who will bring strong leadership to our squad.
“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. He combines quality with quantity, and has provided goals and assists for his team every year.
“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.”