Bruno Guimaraes has voted to leave Newcastle United during a summit at La Manga, setting in motion a £75m transfer to Arsenal. The midfielder's decision came after six weeks of speculation and frustration for Newcastle chiefs, who were keen to hear his intentions directly.
Newcastle's frustration and the summit
Newcastle had become frustrated by whispers, half-truths and leaks regarding Arsenal's interest in Bruno. While the club had established early in the summer that Arsenal were interested, every leak was checked with the right sources, and no bid was made until this week. The club was baffled by the repeated use of the term "advanced talks" when the deal never advanced in June or July, and rumors of a medical being planned for Monday proved false.
The stance from United chiefs was simple: they didn't want to sell and were under no pressure to sell, despite SCR restrictions and the sales of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon. On July 9, it was reported that Bruno had concerns over the sporting project at Newcastle following those sales to Spurs and Barcelona.
Newcastle transfer chief Ross Wilson was keen to hear all of that from Bruno himself. While the midfielder was always committed to returning to training in La Manga, the club asked him what his vote would be on stay or go. Bruno opted to vote "go", and the wheels were put in motion for a £75m sale.
Reasons for the move
His reasons, according to those close to United, include the opportunity, a better deal, and to move to London. It is expected that it will be a flat fee, with 20% of any profit from his original fee going to Lyon. While it has not been confirmed officially, there are claims that the fee could rise further based on appearances, titles, and Champions League qualifications. So the fee could eventually be higher than £75m, as high as £90m according to sources close to the deal, but it depends on Bruno's success story with the Gunners.
Either way, Bruno is heading from Arsenal, and his check out from the Grand Hyatt resort always seemed on the cards.
Why Newcastle agreed to the sale
Those close to Newcastle say that there was never a market for a £100m exit for Bruno, or even a market for £80m or £90m in terms of a flat fee. The £75m tag was deemed a book price, and his valuation on Transfermarkt is £60m on the day the deal was agreed. Bruno will be 29 in November, and the reality is his value will only go down moving ahead, so this was essentially the last chance to cash in.
With Matthias Jaissle coming in, the Magpies have a policy of retaining players who are committed, and the club captain had to be leading by example. The moment it became clear to Jaissle and Wilson that Bruno wanted to leave for Arsenal, his Toon career was over.
What comes next
Newcastle will give Bruno his say on the transfer if he wants to take it, just like the club did with Tonali, Gordon, and Eddie Howe. There is a feeling from the Bruno camp that the sporting project was not going in the right direction, and the exits of top stars plus the head coach meant the club was sliding backwards slightly. Newcastle insist that this is an "exciting new era" and with Jaissle expected to present a variation of Gegenpressing, Toon fans will be in good voice soon enough.
There is also an expectation that Bruno will not be replaced by a younger player and that a more experienced hand comes in to join the leadership. Newcastle had looked at Angelo Stiller of Stuttgart earlier in the window, and with a £31m release clause, it is a target that can't be dismissed. Either way, there will be life after Bruno, and sources at the club's La Manga training camp insist that team spirit is already high.
