Bruno Guimarães is officially an Arsenal player and his old Newcastle teammates aren’t wasting any time letting him know how they feel about it.
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of the Brazilian in a £75m deal, with Guimarães putting pen to paper on a four-year contract at the Emirates. But it’s what happened after the announcement that’s really caught fans’ attention. When Guimarães posted an emotional farewell message to Newcastle supporters, replies started rolling in from current and former teammates within minutes and one response in particular has fans talking.
Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal saga was a one that dragged on
This one took its time. Newcastle were reportedly reluctant to even engage with offers for their captain at the start of the summer, only softening their stance once Guimarães made clear he wanted the move. His departure adds another high-profile name to what’s been a turbulent summer at St James’ Park, following Eddie Howe, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier out the door.
By most accounts, Guimarães handled the situation with respect throughout, a very different tone to the messier exit saga involving Alexander Isak. Even so, it’ll be remembered on Tyneside as the summer their captain asked to leave.
A force of nature.
Replacing a player of Guimarães’ quality won’t be straightforward. Newcastle have already brought in young midfielders Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba this summer, but the club are reportedly still in the market for as many as three further additions. Felix Nmecha and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg have both been mentioned as possibilities, though who’s actually top of the list remains unclear for now.
The message that’s got everyone talking
Given how close he’d grown to the club since arriving in 2022, Guimarães marked his exit with a heartfelt message to supporters on Instagram, writing that it had been “beautiful to live these nearly five years with you all.” It’s the kind of send-off that reflects just how attached he’d become to Newcastle, even as he chose to walk away from it.
And it didn’t take long for the replies to start coming in. Former Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock, who might have a word or two of advice for Guimarães about life at the Emirates, liked the post, as did Aaron Ramsdale, who spent last season on loan at Newcastle. Brazil teammate and Spurs striker Richarlison also showed his support, alongside Arsenal’s own Gabriel Magalhães.
But the reaction fans have zeroed in on is Nick Woltemade’s. The Newcastle forward didn’t write a lengthy tribute or a farewell essay. He simply left three heart emojis, a small gesture that’s said plenty to supporters reading into how the Newcastle dressing room really feels about their captain’s exit.
For Arsenal, it’s a statement of intent: prising a club captain away from a top-half Premier League rival isn’t cheap, in transfer fee or in goodwill. But if he settles as quickly as expected, it could prove to be one of the more significant additions of the window.
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