Arsenal wanted to sign a midfielder in the January transfer window however, with just hours remaining it looks exceptionally uncertain that a deal will be done to strengthen the middle third.
Bruno Guimaraes had emerged as a possible target for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta had been linked with a move for the player as far back as 2020. However, the deal was quickly turned on its head when Newcastle United’s interest in the player became public.
Arsenal never bid for Guimaraes during the winter month, instead, pursued a loan move for Arthur Melo from Juventus which eventually broke down. Whilst Edu agreed on a deal with the player for an 18-month loan, the club hierarchy instead stepped in and raised concerns over the possible move according to The Athletic.
Guimaraes was unveiled as a Newcastle player in the final days of the window and Arsenal supporters were ready to move on from the Brazilian.
However, he was not ready for the Gunners faithful to do so and his announcement on his own personal social channels sparked quite a reaction.
In the one-minute-long promo of his arrival at Newcastle, the first third of the video contained a montage of stories linking Guimaraes with a move to Arsenal.
Articles from a variety of websites were brought up on the screen as well as a WhatsApp notification from Fabrizio Romano asking, “Here we go?” Strangely the date of the message read the 10th of February.
Further articles naming both Edu and Mikel Arteta in the headlines popped up on the screen.
The video was, in a word, strange. To call out the Arsenal interest and then sign for a Premier League relegation battler made it all the weirder. Perhaps the player took Arsenal's lack of interest to heart?
How Arsenal fans should feel about the post is entirely up to them. From a personal perspective, despite being a huge admirer of Guimaraes and calling on the club to sign him, maybe this instance gives some insight into why the club didn’t.
Under Arteta, there have been a number of players who have been moved on from the side due to disciplinary issues. Famously Matteo Guendouzi was ousted from the group after an incident at Brighton and a second behind-closed-doors issue whilst at a warm-weather training camp.
The Frenchman was sent on loan to Hertha Berlin last season before joining Marseille at the beginning of the current campaign where a buyout clause will see him leave permanently.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy in December and is now set to leave on loan for Barcelona.
It is clear that Mikel Arteta has laid out strict guidelines around his squad and anything to disrupt the togetherness and principles of the group is dealt with swiftly and indefinitely barring clear the air talks.
An example of the latter saw Ainsley Maitland-Niles return to the team after a social media post at the end of the previous summer window effectively asking to allow him to leave having spoken to Arteta.
Guimaraes’ post will be one that Magpies fans will revel in, that is for sure. However, the classlessness of the post may give Arsenal some justification in their decision not to push harder to sign the midfielder.
Until the end of the campaign, Arsenal’s midfield will focus on trying to qualify for the Champions League whilst Guimaraes focuses on staying in the Premier League. It will be interesting to see how both ambitions turn out.
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