Newcastle United stars returned to first-team training today -
Construction workers were hard at graft as Newcastle United proudly unveiled Knox Hydration branding across their revamped Benton base. Multi-million-pound improvements will help the training ground bridge the gap until a £200million state-of-the-art complex becomes reality.
But as players began pre-season, one absence loomed larger than any building work. Bruno Guimaraes - granted extra time off following his World Cup heartbreak with Brazil - was nowhere to be seen.
Arsenal are interested - and the Toon skipper is open to the move - but the clubs remain some distance apart in their valuations. In truth, the Gunners have yet to test the waters with anything concrete. Until now, the noise has largely been driven by intermediaries.
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Newcastle do not want to sell Guimaraes. However, as was seen last summer with Alexander Isak, nobody is truly off the market.
Turning 29 in November after four-and-a-half years on Tyneside, the Brazilian is understandably open to an exit. Arsenal - as Premier League champions - present a genuine chance of a last big career move.
With Champions League football, the possibility of silverware and higher wages on offer, Guimaraes wanting out does not mirror the project-damaging saga of Isakgate 12 months ago. There is also understanding that the midfielder does not wish to follow the Swede’s striking footsteps and damage his legendary status with Toon supporters.
But until Arsenal make an offer, Newcastle can rightfully feel aggrieved as their best player has been unsettled for no apparent reason. Add in Anthony Gordon’s exit, Sandro Tonali’s move to Tottenham Hotspur and two transfer targets being hijacked, it perhaps explains why there was little buzz around The Knox as the first-team squad returned to work."
Johan Manzambi became the latest star to lead Newcastle up the garden path. A deal with Freiburg was all but agreed, only for delay to foreshadow rejection once again.
Aston Villa swooped in to replicate Liverpool’s pursuit of Victor Munoz that got Newcastle’s summer off to a stinker. The 20-year-old is one of the breakout stars from the World Cup and missing out has dealt another hammer blow to Newcastle.
Toon chiefs find themselves between a rock and a hard place. High-profile stars want out. Top targets are being hijacked. After last summer, Newcastle hoped to hit the ground running but appear as hamstrung as ever - just 41 days until the Premier League opener.
If fans want reassurance, they should know that work is continuing behind the scenes. Alternative targets are being identified, with the hierarchy determined to give Eddie Howe the tools to attack the 2026-27 campaign.
The training drills have started. The grass has been cut. The building work rolls on. Yet the biggest job facing Newcastle this summer is neither bricks nor mortar. It is convincing their captain - and potential incomings - that the Suadi-backed project is very much alive.
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