Arsenal could offer Tonali money and Bruno Guimaraes may still be a bargain… | OneFootball

Arsenal have ‘indicated a willingness to pay up to £60million’ for Bruno Guimaraes. Presumably as a first instalment.

Even before Tottenham and Manchester City prompted the midfield market to put pants on its head, pencils up its nose and say ‘wibble’, the Gunners would be laughed out of Newcastle and all the way back down the A1 for making such a derisory offer.

Arsenal know that, which is precisely why they haven’t submitted any such bid – at least not via official channels. But it does feel like they are laying the groundwork for a slightly less insulting offer.

In their minds, £70million sounds better and we can confirm that, yes, it is a higher number. That, and the fact Guimaraes has told Newcastle he wants to go, seems to have given the Gunners a confidence we cannot help but feel is misplaced.

There are just too many reasons Newcastle cannot be seen to even consider such a bid.

They have already lost two big-name players which leaves them worse off than where they were – and they weren’t much good before. But Newcastle can reasonably explain away the sales of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, getting good money for one and silly money for the other.

And we’re not sure the Toon Army ever fully warmed to Gordon; Tonali was revered, perhaps more than he deserved, but Newcastle fans have had months to make their peace with his sale. The Magpies would have been daft to turn down Tottenham’s eyebrow-raising bid.

Guimaraes is a different story. Aside from the message Newcastle would send by letting their captain go on anything but their terms, the Brazilian is the heartbeat of the team and the face of the club.

Newcastle could not possibly put a positive spin on selling the skipper without banking a very hefty sum.

They could and should point at the Tonali fee as the benchmark. Guimaraes being the better player is subjective but he is certainly more important, illustrated by the fact that Newcastle have only won twice when he hasn’t started since his full debut in March 2022. And even those successive wins in March this year were sandwiched by four defeats while the Brazilian nursed a hamstring injury.

Given the amounts spent on Tonali, Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, coupled with his importance to Newcastle, Arsenal should be quoted nine figures.

Which of course they won’t pay. Unlike Spurs, they are recruiting and negotiating from a position of authority and have no reason to lose their freaking minds this summer. Plus, Guimaraes is older – he turns 29 in November – and is into the final two years of his contract.

But Guimaraes would still be good value at a figure closer to Newcastle’s number than Arsenal’s opener.

He would be ready to slot straight into Arteta’s midfield while offering the Arsenal manager tactical flexibility, predominantly playing alongside Declan Rice in a double pivot, but perhaps also slightly higher as an 8 to form a tidy triangle with Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka.

There is a feeling that Arsenal are chancing their arm with Guimaraes since they already look well-stocked in midfield. But we all thought that about their defence last season before Arteta invested heavily in more defenders. Which proved to be a masterstroke.

Rice and Martin Zubimendi were run into the ground last season, which for them hasn’t finished yet. Guimaraes offers Arteta the chance to rest either without a drop-off in quality in midfield, while also providing fresh impetus for the pair to fight for places that were previously guaranteed.

For that privilege, Arsenal are going to have to make Newcastle an offer they can at least consider. Which won’t start with a six or a seven.

Regardless, Newcastle cannot simply keep calm and carry on in the hope Arsenal don’t tempt them. Guimaraes – and everyone else – is right to be concerned over the direction of the club’s summer.

Reassuring words won’t cut it with the skipper. In addition to decisive moves in the market to get Newcastle at least back to the level they were before selling Gordon and Tonali, Guimaraes’ importance ought to be recognised in the form of a new contract.

The 28-year-old is already Newcastle’s highest earner, and not just because they have sold the two players closest to him on the payroll. But their exits further heighten his status that needs to be reflected in his salary, which would jump perhaps by as much as a third if he joined Arsenal.

We’re told Guimaraes does not want to force a move, because of his sentiment towards Newcastle but maybe also, like us, the midfielder is yet to be convinced of Arsenal’s intent and fears being left hanging.

Guimaraes may believe he has done his part – but he needs Arsenal to swiftly back him up with a serious offer. They almost certainly won’t regret it.