Bruno Guimarães lost sleep over Newcastle exit and seeks same ‘love’ at Arsenal
Bruno Guimarães said he lost many nights of sleep before leaving Newcastle at St James’ Park ahead of his summer move to Arsenal, the Brazil midfielder revealed on 22 October 2026. He described tearful goodbyes to teammates and owners as he prepared to take up the transfer.
Guimarães recounted a difficult period that followed a personal high at the World Cup — a fine tournament for him that included a crucial penalty miss in Brazil’s last-16 defeat by Norway — and culminated in a dream move to Arsenal. He joined Newcastle from Lyon in January 2022 and was part of the side that secured Champions League qualification and won the Carabao Cup in 2025, ending a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy. The transfer required tough choices because of the emotional ties he had formed at St James’ Park.
“It was not just hard to tell Eddie but to tell the owners and my teammates [about deciding to leave Newcastle],” Guimarães says. “But I think the club went to a new rotation; a lot of players left, as well. The gaffer left. It was tough because my connection with the club was unbelievable. I never felt so loved like the way I was at Newcastle. I hope I can have the same love here at Arsenal.
“It was hard for me to say bye. I remember when I said bye to the lads, I was crying. They were crying as well because we were a family there. I lost many, many nights of sleep because it was difficult for me, for my family. But sometimes in your life you have to make decisions and in my mind, I needed a new challenge. I wish Newcastle all the best because they were so nice to me. It is just time to move on and I’ve been enjoying my time here at Arsenal, as well.”
Guimarães acknowledged several departures and changes at Newcastle before his exit, saying Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali had left for Barcelona and Tottenham respectively and that manager Eddie Howe had also gone. He completed the transfer for a fee of £75m and Arsenal purchased him believing he would add different ways to unlock defences alongside his recognised work rate and aggression.
His influence has already produced tangible moments: he scored his first Arsenal goal at Sunderland in September, a strike that contributed to a 2-0 victory, and two Premier League matches later he netted the winner at home against Leeds.
In the Champions League at Bayern Munich Guimarães nearly produced another decisive moment only for Manuel Neuer to deny him with an extraordinary close-range save that kept the scoreline level; the match finished 2-2 after Declan Rice’s equaliser in the 82nd minute. “He pulled off a miracle,” Guimarães said of Neuer. “I asked him after the game: ‘How did you manage to save that?’ He said: ‘I don’t know. I just saved it!’ He’s unbelievable, one of the best keepers in the world. No matter how old he is, he is top.”
Guimarães described his developing midfield relationship with Rice and Martin Ødegaard and outlined the positional fluidity the manager is seeking. “Declan can play – like me – as a No 6, No 8 or No 10,” Guimarães says. “The manager is still trying to get the best version of ourselves. Against Bayern, I played more as a No 6, Declan played more as a No 8. I enjoy playing with him a lot; with Martin, as well. We have been on a good run so far.” He also revealed Rice messaged him before his signing: “No more fights, now we’re friends,” and recalled their past on-field confrontations: “It is difficult to say,” he replies with a smile. “I am like this when I play against teams. When we were playing against each other, I was not nice to him, he was not nice to me! Now we try to help each other on the pitch.”
Arsenal are due to play Everton at home on Saturday, and Guimarães said he recognised the club’s uncompromising mentality under Mikel Arteta. “The mentality of the club has changed a lot and Arteta shows this perfectly,” he said. “We don’t accept a draw at Bayern. We always want to win. That is the mentality that we go to the training ground with every day. Arteta is always a little bit addicted to videos and the way that he can make us feel better on the pitch. We have a top manager with a top mentality. We want to win everything possible.”