Newcastle transfer chief makes bold claim over Arsenal fee for Bruno Guimaraes | OneFootball

Sporting director Ross Wilson insists Magpies’ summer business went largely to plan despite spate of high-profile exits

Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson insists he is satisfied with the fee they commanded from Arsenal to sell Bruno Guimaraes, despite conceding the player’s exit was disappointing.

Guimaraes joined the Gunners in a £75m transfer earlier this summer after protracted talks between the two clubs, which saw the Magpies reject multiple offers.

Newcastle were not keen to sanction Guimaraes’ exit. The player was a fan favourite on Tyneside, but reportedly pushed for the move once Arsenal made their interest known.

And Wilson has now revealed that while it hurt to see Guimaraes leave, the financial windfall rather softened the blow.

“We did not want to lose Bruno Guimaraes,” he confirmed to Sky Sports.

“That was really disappointing that we got to that place in the end, albeit we were happy where we got to in terms of numbers (the fee).

Newcastle lost two key midfielders this summer as Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali joined Arsenal and Tottenham, respectively

AFP via Getty Images

“That was not part of our plan. Everything else that happened during the window was part of the plan.”

From the outside looking in, it seemed another frustrating transfer window for Newcastle. Money made selling Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon was reinvested into the likes of Sean Steur, Lukas Hornicek, Amad Dedic and Nico Gonzalez, while Eddie Howe’s surprise August departure compounded the problems.

Wilson, though, insists Newcastle were not in crisis at any point of the summer: “Genuinely, it never felt chaotic inside. There is no point us pretending otherwise.

“That does not mean that every single player (who signed) was the number one name on our list, but that is never the case in any transfer window.

“Clearly we were disappointed a couple of times but, again, that’s normal. No club goes into the window and reaches the end getting every target they set out to get. If they say they did, it is a lie.

“We have built a squad for the season. That doesn’t mean we might not make further alterations to it in January.”