Arsenal have signed Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United for a reported 75 million pounds, taking the Brazil midfielder to a rival on a four-year contract with a further year as an option. Ezri Konsa arrived from Aston Villa in the same window.
Newcastle did not want this. You do not sell your captain to a title rival in the same window unless the numbers reach a point where the board stops arguing. Seventy-five million was apparently that point.
For Arsenal, it is the sort of signing that says something about where they think they are. They won the league last season. Clubs in that position usually buy depth. This is not depth. This is a first-choice midfielder in his prime being added to a team that already had one.
What Arsenal are actually getting
Guimaraes is 28 and has spent four and a half years turning himself into one of the most complete midfielders in the division. He covers ground, he wins the ball back, and he can pick the pass that changes a game. Newcastle built their midfield around him and it showed every time he was missing.
The four-year deal, with an option for a fifth, means Arsenal are covered for the whole of what should be his peak.
Konsa gives them something different
The Ezri Konsa deal has had less attention and might matter almost as much. Konsa can play centre-back or right-back to a decent standard, which is worth a squad place on its own in a season with European football and two domestic cups.
Arsenal have had seasons wrecked by defensive injuries before. Signing a defender who covers two positions is the kind of unglamorous work that keeps a title challenge alive in March.
Newcastle now have a hole to fill
Losing your captain and best midfielder in one transaction is a bad day at the office, whatever the fee. Newcastle brought in Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille earlier in the window, which helps the attack rather than the middle of the pitch.
- Guimaraes signs a four-year deal with an option for a fifth
- Konsa joins from Aston Villa in the same window
- Newcastle must reshape a midfield built around one player
The bigger picture
Premier League clubs spent a record 3.46 billion pounds this summer, and deals like this are why. When the champions can add a rival's captain without breaking stride, the gap between the top and the rest is not closing.
Whether it wins Arsenal anything is a different question, and one that only gets answered in May.
More from SoloScore: Premier League transfer news, analysis and match coverage all season long.
0 Comments