Newcastle United’s new £40m signing Bruno Guimaraes has revealed he was in line for an Arsenal transfer.
Guimaraes signed from Ligue 1 side Lyon in January, and while he has started just once, owing to a period of adapting before being throw in at the deep end, this one start has already yielded results as the Brazilian netted a sublime winner against Southampton with the back of his heel.
An an interview with Sky Sports, Guimaraes spoke about how he was in talks to sign with a number of clubs, one of which was rumoured to be none other than Arsenal.
He told Sky: “I did speak to some other clubs. But the only concrete offer came in from Newcastle and I really wanted to come here. I’ve always wanted to play in the Premier League and on top of that it was the start of a new sporting project for the club.”
Arsenal were in the market for a classy centre midfielder to bolster their midfield for the rest of the season, but were ultimately unable to make a move for any player stick.
While this has ultimately not been a hindrance for The Gunners in the race for fourth so far this season, it now means they will have fewer targets to pick from in the summer.
Considering the alarming lack of quality depth in the squad, and with the expected departure of Granit Xhaka to Roma, it could mean Arsenal need two of three players in central midfield in order to acquire a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts.