Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Manchester United were criticised for signing Casemiro in 2022.
It is interesting to note a largely positive reaction to Arsenal’s £75 million deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes.
The transfer is a good deal at first glance. Arsenal are signing a proven top level midfielder who is currently at the top of his game.
But for the same reasons Manchester United were critiqued for spending £60 million on Casemiro four years ago, the same negativity could be applied to Arsenal’s move.
Bruno Guimaraes turns 29 in November and is an instant fix for Arsenal, rather than a long-term solution in their midfield.
Gary Neville slammed United’s Casemiro move for those exact reasons.
Casemiro / Neville
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Gary Neville slammed Casemiro move
Earlier this year, Gary Neville criticised Manchester United’s Casemiro deal citing the overall investment in the midfielder, and a lack of resale value.
Neville told Sky Sports: “They’ve invested £140m in Casemiro, £20m in wages (per year) and £60m in a fee, that’s not a clever move because they’re now losing him for nothing.
“If you’re paying £140m over four years, you’d expect some sort of value at the end of it.”
Using Neville’s same metrics, Arsenal are expected to spend a gargantuan amount on Bruno Guimaraes.
Guimaraes will sign a five-year deal at Arsenal according to reports, where he could earn around £10 million in wages per year – possibly even more.
Even using those figures, Arsenal are committing to paying £125 million over five years for Bruno Guimaraes – using Gary Neville’s logic.
There will be no sale value for 33-year-old Guimaraes at the end of his Arsenal deal.
The point that Neville missed is that football is not always assessed via the balance sheet.
Casemiro brought a lot to Manchester United and raised the team’s levels over the course of his four years at the club, and there is a strong argument that Bruno Guimaraes makes Arsenal even more of a threat at the top of the table.
Arsenal fans won’t be looking at the financials – they will be enjoying the talents Guimaraes brings on the pitch.
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Will there be the same energy for Guimaraes deal?
The point is not that Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal is a bad deal. That’s not what I believe. I don’t believe that Casemiro to Manchester United was a bad deal either.
But if the media treats the Casemiro deal one way, then they have to treat the Guimaraes deal in the same manner.
I won’t hold my breath. I expect the press to start fawning over the Guimaraes deal, Neville included, completely forgetting the matching criticism for United and Casemiro.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was the same energy for once?