Are Arsenal being disrespectful to Newcastle over Bruno Guimarães?

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·29 juillet 2026

Are Arsenal being disrespectful to Newcastle over Bruno Guimarães?

If you draw a map of England, the further north you go, the more journalists will tell you that Bruno Guimarães is simply not for sale this summer.

Those who work on Tyneside have even mocked their counterparts in the south, questioning where all these Arsenal links are coming from while insisting Newcastle have received no contact from the Gunners regarding their captain.

Vidéos OneFootball

So, who’s telling the truth?

Perhaps it comes down to semantics.

Newcastle are factually correct that Arsenal have yet to make an official approach because no formal bid has been submitted. Andrea Berta has instead reportedly been using intermediaries to establish what sort of transfer fee and wage package would be required before deciding whether to proceed.

That has long been the Italian’s recruitment policy: gather as much information as possible before reviewing whether a deal is worth pursuing.

Legally, Arsenal cannot be accused of tapping up the player, but football has always had an unwritten code of conduct during transfer windows.

While it has become standard practice for clubs to sound out agents before a bid has been accepted, there comes a point where professional courtesy suggests opening discussions with the club that actually owns the player’s registration.

Why Newcastle may feel frustrated

There has even been talk that Newcastle contacted Arsenal directly to ask about their intentions after more than a month of stories, speculation and discussions involving third parties, despite no official approach being made.

Geordies may well feel embarrassed that their club supposedly had to make the first move regarding the future of their own skipper.

During those reported conversations, Newcastle are believed to have questioned why figures of £50-70 million continue to be mentioned when they have consistently valued Guimarães significantly higher.

From their perspective, it could feel as though Arsenal are attempting to influence the market before negotiations have even begun.

It’s also been suggested that Guimarães has privately indicated the Emirates would be his preferred destination. Yet Newcastle cannot reject an offer that has never actually arrived.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Or is this simply smart negotiating?

Of course, Arsenal’s recruitment team may simply view this as good business.

If a player expresses a desire to move, it can naturally strengthen a buying club’s negotiating position and potentially reduce the eventual transfer fee.

However, Guimarães does not appear to be the type of player who would force such a situation.

By all accounts, he has loved his time on Tyneside and seems keen to maintain a positive relationship with Newcastle supporters. It would therefore be a surprise to see him refuse to train or publicly push for an exit.

Then again, the Kroenke family did not become billionaires by spending more than necessary.

Their job is to ensure Arsenal are successful on the pitch while remaining financially responsible off it. If Andrea Berta believes there is a way to save even a few million pounds during negotiations, the club will expect him to explore every possible avenue.

If that makes Arsenal difficult to negotiate with, perhaps they would argue the ends justify the means.

Whether you view that as smart business or disrespectful conduct probably depends on which side of the negotiating table you’re sitting.

Dan Smith

Do you think Arsenal are simply negotiating wisely, or should they have approached Newcastle directly much earlier? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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