"Bizarre" Arsenal transfer strategy baffled Newcastle - inside the Bruno Guimaraes deal | OneFootball

It seems Arsenal reportedly left Newcastle United somewhat baffled with their unusual approach regarding Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazil international is now widely expected to complete a move to the Emirates Stadium after a protracted saga that has dragged on for weeks.

It seems one complication may have been that Arsenal refused for a long time to actually make contact with Newcastle to discuss the deal, which was mostly done via agents and intermediaries at first.

See below for a detailed look inside the deal from Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie, who shared some interesting information on X…

Downie has insisted Newcastle did not want to sell Guimaraes, but were ultimately prepared to do so on their terms.

This means the Magpies insisted on proper behaviour from Guimaraes, who was told to report for pre-season, unlike Alexander Isak last year.

Ultimately, it seems they have parted on good terms, and with Newcastle feeling that they got a good deal despite Arsenal initially trying to sign the 28-year-old for as little as £40-45m.

Bruno Guimaraes pushed for Arsenal transfer

Guimaraes was clearly eager to get the move to Arsenal, and that seems to have been another key factor here.

The former Lyon man supposedly saw this as a big opportunity to win major silverware, and at his age it certainly seems likely that it could be his last big move.

“Attempts to persuade him otherwise and positive conversations were held, but Bruno was insistent he wanted to leave because he felt this was his last big opportunity to win titles,” Downie posted.

Arsenal fans will undoubtedly be delighted to see that Guimaraes was so keen to join, and that he has such strong belief in Mikel Arteta’s project.

Arteta’s side won the Premier League title last season and reached the Champions League final, where they were unlucky to only lose on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain.

Adding quality like Guimaraes will surely only help Arsenal to retain their title and perhaps finally go that step further to conquer Europe.