Tearful Guimaraes leaves Newcastle for Arsenal, club explains fee
Newcastle have lost another key player as Bruno Guimaraes departs emotionally for Arsenal, with the club's chief executive detailing the financial side of the deal.
Bruno Guimaraes gave a tearful farewell to team-mates and staff as he left Newcastle United's pre-season training camp in Spain, becoming the fourth key player to leave the club within less than a year.
Earlier in this transfer window, Sandro Tonali moved to Tottenham Hotspur and Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona, while Alexander Isak departed for Liverpool last summer.
A tough negotiation
Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson said Arsenal had initially hoped to pay less for the midfielder, who turns 29 in November, after lower figures were floated early on. At the same time, Hopkinson acknowledged Newcastle would have preferred an even higher fee given Guimaraes' influence at the club.
Hopkinson described both sides as sophisticated negotiators and said the final fee was the highest ever paid for a player in that position and age bracket. He said the deal worked financially for both clubs, with Arsenal gaining a special player and person.
Losing Guimaraes, long regarded as the club's talisman, is a significant blow. Newcastle are already working to find a replacement — four of their five signings this summer have been aged 20 or under, but the club wants to add a more experienced midfielder along with further reinforcements before the transfer window closes on 1 September.
However, a club representative, Wilson, cautioned against rushing into signings just to fill a gap, saying Newcastle do not want to make mistakes by acting hastily.
