The back-and-forth over whether Arsenal and Newcastle are actually in talks, the plane trackings and the staunch denials in the North East are finally at an end.
Bruno Guimaraes is an Arsenal player, theirs for £75million, and a transfer saga which has dragged on for weeks, much to the entertainment of rival fans, is over. Mikel Arteta has his man, a player he’s long admired and been desperate to sign.
This transfer has been an exhausting process, and far from straightforward. But Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has come out of it looking incredibly shrewd, having pulled off a relative ‘bargain’ in the current climate.
Guimaraes’ long journey to Arsenal started back in June. As Daily Mail Sport reported on June 24, the Brazilian had instructed agents to find him a new club and Newcastle were braced for an offer from the Gunners. Their interest had been registered.
Newcastle’s response was bullish. He wasn’t going anywhere, according to sources at the club. Given his status as captain and the player’s quality, Guimaraes’ value was enormous – particularly in light of the departures of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon. They did not need to sell.
Money talks, however. Newcastle had briefed that they wanted closer to £100million, but internally there was acceptance that an offer of around £75million would see progress.
Bruno Guimaraes has joined Arsenal in a protracted £75million move from Newcastle
The transfer saga is finally over, with Guimaraes’ long journey to Arsenal starting back in June
At Arsenal, they were willing to dig their heels in over the price, in the knowledge that Guimaraes really wanted the move. He had agreed personal terms with the Gunners last month and informed Newcastle of his desire to leave if a suitable offer came in.
There were also optics at play. Newcastle didn’t want to be seen as letting their talisman and a fan favourite leave without putting up a fight. Their fans would rightly have felt aggrieved.
So the negotiations dragged on, largely involving agent Kia Joorabchian. Newcastle would claim there had been no formal contact from Arsenal and felt bewildered by the process, relayed in reports of no direct contact between the clubs.
This conflict in media coverage added to the increasing frenzy attached to a potential move.
Weeks went by, before a real acceleration came last week. As Daily Mail Sport reported on Friday, July 31, a deal had been agreed in principle with a date reserved for the medical. Though a few sticking points remained.
Newly-appointed Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle also decided he wanted a final chance to try convince the Brazilian to stay put.
Guimaraes travelled to Newcastle’s La Manga training base in Spain on Monday, before waiting for permission to leave and have his medical at Arsenal after telling Jaissle of his desire to move.
The initial reports that he failed to arrive on Sunday resulted in social media sleuths tracking flights to see if Guimaraes was in the air. It had all got a bit mad.
Even the Arsenal players were braced for the move. When Riccardo Calafiori was asked about Guimaraes’ impending transfer on Wednesday night after Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat by Real Betis in Dublin, he turned to the press officer and asked: ‘Is it official yet, no?’
Berta is a tough negotiator. He loathes to overpay, which in this market is extremely hard not to do.
Arsenal had wanted to pay a smaller fee for the Brazil midfielder, who turns 29 in November, while Newcastle demanded a minimum of £80million.
That Arsenal decided to play the long game and stick to their guns frustrated some of their supporters. But the club were never in doubt of the end result.
Newly-appointed manager Matthias Jaissle made a last ditch plea to persuade him to stay
Arsenal chief Andrea Berta held his nerve on the transfer fee throughout negotiations
It’s a smart deal in a market which has, as one agent claimed, ‘gone out of control’. As Daily Mail Sport reported last week, even kids as young as 16 are being paid £20,000 a week, as in the case of Man City’s Mishel Nduka.
In the senior ranks, Chelsea bought Morgan Rogers for £117million, while Spurs splashed out £100million on Tonali.
The strategy of Arsenal and Berta has paid off – after they walked away from Rogers because their valuation of the player had been far exceeded.
The deal for Guimaraes represents value for money – and it is one Berta deserves credit for.
An Arsenal midfield, which was already dominant, now looks even more menacing. Alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, Guimaraes completes a formidable trio.
Rice provides the ability to cover acres of space, while also being a threat going forward and strong defensively. Odegaard is in charge of creating chances in the final third.
Guimaraes, meanwhile, is an all-round No 8 who can affect games at both ends of the pitch, and brings an aggressive edge. His attempts at more ambitious passes will add some unpredictability the Gunners lack at times.
And so, after weeks of twists, denials and negotiations behind the scenes, the saga is finally over. Guimaraes is an Arsenal player – and Newcastle’s fight to keep their captain has achieved nothing more than a sizeable cheque.
