Bruno Guimaraes will be a quality signing for Arsenal, but not necessarily a deal that can change the situation. In Newcastle United's colors, the Brazilian midfielder has proven his value with a stable and effective performance in a highly competitive Premier League environment.
Guimaraes' first highlight is abundant energy. In Newcastle's 4-3 victory over Leeds United at St James' Park in January, he traveled 13.24 km. Only 2 other players crossed the 13 km mark in a Premier League match last season, Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) and Pascal Gross (Brighton).
Guimaraes always plays with very high intensity and is considered the "heart" in Newcastle's playing style under Eddie Howe. He made a great contribution to helping the team end their prolonged title drought, and at the same time win tickets to the Champions League for two seasons.
In the Champions League arena, Guimaraes played 13 matches, did not score and had one assist. However, in the Premier League, his numbers are much more impressive with 30 goals (including 2 from penalties) and 26 assists for Newcastle.
In-depth statistics also show the value of the 28-year-old midfielder. In the last 3 seasons, Guimaraes has won 697 tackles, more than any other player in the Premier League. This is a quality that is very suitable for Mikel Arteta's philosophy, who always values the ability to compete and control the midfield.
Considering the current transfer price level of top midfielders, the fee of about 75 million pounds for Guimaraes is considered reasonable.
However, he is not the type of player who can make a difference in big matches alone. The person who can bring that, according to many assessments, is his compatriot - Vinicius Junior.
The Real Madrid striker is expected to have a meeting with the Royal team's leadership to resolve the deadlock in the contract extension process. Vinicius only has one year left on his contract and is demanding a salary level about 10 million pounds per year higher than his current income of 15 million pounds.
Meanwhile, the offer from Real Madrid is said to be at 19 million pounds per year, still lower than the Brazilian player's request of about 6 million pounds.
If Arsenal wants to recruit Vinicius, they are likely to have to break the current salary structure. However, this is considered a special case because of the class and influence of the 26-year-old star.
Vinicius is not only a pillar of Real Madrid but also one of the best Champions League players in recent years.
The Gunners" deserve a lot of praise after reaching the Champions League final last season and only losing in the penalty shootout. However, Arteta's team still lacks a factor that can create breakthroughs in attack in decisive moments.
Vinicius is considered a player who can fill that gap. In his last 46 appearances in the Champions League, he scored 26 goals and had 21 assists, statistics reflecting the class of one of the top attacking players in the world.
Not only helping Arsenal increase strength, Vinicius's appearance can also elevate the attractiveness of the Premier League. World-class stars often choose to join Real Madrid instead of leaving Bernabeu, so if Arsenal succeeds in this deal, it will be one of the most notable signings in the history of the league.
Of course, the Emirates Stadium team still has a lot of work to do before they can realize the goal of recruiting Vinicius. But if the deal becomes a reality, this will not only be a big boost for Arsenal but also good news for the entire Premier League.
