Midfielder says there were a lot of tears as he said goodbye at St James’ Park but he is enjoying the remorselessness at his new club

For Bruno Guimarães, it was a time to show his steeliness, to fix his eyes on the prize – even if he knew it would surely mean them welling up. And then some. It was a tumultuous summer for the Brazil midfielder. A fine World Cup on a personal level was marred by a crucial penalty miss in the last-16 loss against Norway. Now he had the dream move lined up to Arsenal but it could not happen without breaking some hearts at Newcastle.

Guimarães admits he lay awake at night as the emotions swirled. How could he leave Newcastle, the club where he made so many connections and enjoyed so many highs after joining from Lyon in January 2022? There were the Champions League qualifications and, above all, the Carabao Cup triumph in 2025 that ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy. On the other hand, how could he resist Arsenal and the prospect of competing regularly for the game’s top honours?

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