Arsenal’s £75 million signing of Bruno Guimaraes adds another elite operator to a midfield already packed with quality. The Brazilian’s blend of physicality, ball-winning and creativity explains the appeal, but his arrival raises a genuine tactical question for Mikel Arteta exactly where does he fit alongside Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly?
No.6 or No.8?
Guimaraes has long been capable of playing either as a deep-lying No.6 or a more advanced box-to-box No.8. Back in 2022, while primarily deployed at the base of Newcastle’s midfield under Eddie Howe, he made clear his personal preference leaned toward the more advanced role, though he stressed he was fully comfortable playing wherever the team needed him and that helping Newcastle win mattered more than personal position preference.
He eventually settled into his favoured No.8 role once Sandro Tonali arrived to anchor Newcastle’s midfield but that early willingness to adapt, and the versatility it demonstrated, is likely to appeal strongly to Arteta, who has consistently valued players comfortable across multiple positions. A breakdown of Guimaraes’ Premier League minutes by position shows he’s featured extensively both at the base of midfield and as a right- or left-sided No.8, underlining just how flexible he could be at Arsenal.
What Arsenal Are Getting
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta explained the thinking behind the move, describing Guimaraes as a player capable of operating either as a defensive midfielder or in a box-to-box role, combining consistent quality with genuine goal and assist output year after year. Berta said the signing was designed both to evolve Arsenal’s playing style under Arteta and to sharpen internal competition for places something he views as essential for a squad targeting major trophies.
Guimaraes himself has described his own style as that of a combative, all-action presence, while also emphasising his comfort and composure in possession. Even during spells nominally playing as Newcastle’s No.6, he was often given license to push forward and support the attack, contributing four goals and five assists in one Premier League season from that deeper role, before an even more productive follow-up campaign with seven goals and eight assists. Across his time at Newcastle, he racked up 30 goals and 25 assists in 153 Premier League appearances numbers that speak to a genuine attacking threat regardless of where he lines up.
The Tactical Options for Arteta
One clear pathway would see Guimaraes paired with Rice in a double pivot, allowing Odegaard or Eberechi Eze to operate as a pure No.10. Rice, who spent much of last season shifting between a left-sided No.8 role and, later, the right side of a double pivot alongside a breakthrough Lewis-Skelly, showed he has both the energy and tactical discipline to complement a partner like Guimaraes effectively.
Should Rice be unavailable, Arteta could deploy both Rice and Guimaraes as No.8s ahead of Zubimendi at the base or, for a setup prioritising physical dominance over pure creativity, push Guimaraes into the right-sided No.8 role he occupied for much of his final two seasons at Newcastle, with Zubimendi anchoring behind him. A midfield trio of Guimaraes, Zubimendi and Rice wouldn’t necessarily look the most expansive on paper, but it would give Arsenal serious control in physical midfield battles.
Interestingly, the data suggests Guimaraes profiles closer to Odegaard as a passer than might be expected his rate of line-breaking passes per 90 minutes last season was almost identical to Arsenal’s captain, and comfortably ahead of both Rice and Zubimendi, while his accuracy on forward passes actually exceeded Odegaard’s. That suggests Guimaraes could help offset periods without Odegaard available, adding a genuine creative outlet from deeper areas.
Who Might Lose Out?
Guimaraes’ arrival inevitably raises questions for Arsenal’s existing midfield options. Rice and Zubimendi both played well over 4,000 minutes last season, a workload partly driven by long-term injuries to Odegaard, Merino and Kai Havertz, but also reflecting Arteta’s previous reluctance to trust alternatives such as Christian Norgaard, who has since departed for Everton a move that effectively created the squad space for Guimaraes’ arrival.
Arsenal may still need to trim numbers further, with Ethan Nwaneri and Fabio Vieira both back from productive loan spells at Marseille and Hamburg. Lewis-Skelly, who ended last season ahead of Zubimendi in the pecking order, could also find himself further down the list for now. That said, with 63 games played last season and multiple trophy targets again this campaign, the rotation demands and inevitable injuries should still create genuine opportunities for the young midfielder across the season.
What’s clear is that Guimaraes valued at £80 million by Newcastle before Arsenal’s deal was struck hasn’t arrived at the Emirates to play a peripheral role.
Quick Facts: Guimaraes at Arsenal
- Fee: £75m
- Best-suited positions: No.6 (deep-lying) or No.8 (box-to-box)
- Newcastle Premier League record: 30 goals, 25 assists in 153 appearances
- Line-breaking passes per 90 (last season): 8.6 comparable to Odegaard, ahead of Rice and Zubimendi
- Potential midfield pairing: Guimaraes + Rice (double pivot), freeing Odegaard/Eze as No.10
- Squad impact: Reduced minutes likely for Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard already departed for Everton
