IN THE summer of £100million-plus midfielders, Newcastle could be holding on to the next one in Bruno Guimaraes.
A comparative snip at £35m from Lyon in January 2022, the Magpies wouldn’t entertain letting their Brazilian maestro leave for anything less than what Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo have gone for.
GettyBruno Guimaraes has been paramount to Newcastle’s recent success[/caption]
AlamyArsenal paid a club-record £105million to sign Declan Rice from West Ham this summer[/caption]
GettyChelsea upped the ante by dropping £111million on Moises Caicedo[/caption]
Real Madrid have been sniffing around and Bruno is yet to sign a new deal, admitting in July that there are “doubts”.
The silky Samba, 25, star has repeatedly stated he wants to become a Toon “legend” – something he is well on course to achieving no matter how long he stays on Tyneside.
Just 18 months into his Toon career and it’s not absurd to ask whether Bruno is already Newcastle’s greatest ever central midfielder.
Iconic Joe Harvey will take some pipping after skippering Newcastle to two FA Cup wins in 1951 and ’52.
In more modern times there is of course Geordie icon Paul Gascoigne, yet Gazza left Tyneside for Tottenham aged 21 after three full seasons.
Then there is Rob Lee and Gary Speed, both brilliant servants but not on the same level as Bruno.
Yet take a look at his stats from last season compared to other Prem midfielders and not much sticks out.
He’s not in the top five for pass accuracy, chances created from open play, tackles, interceptions, possession won or carries up the pitch.
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Four goals and five assists is not to be sniffed at but that was still fewer combined than Granit Xhaka, Mathias Jensen, Douglas Luiz and Pascal Gross.
So what is it that sets Bruno, the poster boy of Newcastle’s new Saudi era, apart?
Deployed mainly as a defensive midfielder so far, Bruno is not the most mobile – at times he can even look laboured.
Yes, he’s got the flicks and feints, the through balls and the raking passes, the bite, the fight and coolness under pressure.
And if you take him out of the side you start to notice just how important he is, with all the evidence pointing to Newcastle crumbling.
Eddie Howe’s side failed to win any of the six games Bruno didn’t start last season. Why? Because he is Howe’s conductor – and what good is an orchestra without one of them?
GettyEddie Howe has relied heavily on Bruno Guimaraes[/caption]
ReutersThe Magpies have signed Sandro Tonali this summer to add depth to their midfield[/caption]
The Newcastle boss said: “He’s absolutely a bargain because he’s had a huge effect on the team and the club.
“It’s an amazing thing for us to have him – it’s not just the player, it’s the person as well. I can’t say how good a person he is.
“He’s a pleasure to coach and be around. He’s a really positive person, an energiser and someone I love to coach and be with.
“He’s so unique and slightly different. I wouldn’t put a ceiling on what he can be.”
Off the pitch, everyone in Newcastle loves Bruno – or the “Mayor” as he says fans call him when out and about.
Always there with a smile and a joke, he brings the swagger every top team has.
Bruno and best mate Joelinton are inseparable, filming themselves doing some Monday afternoon karaoke earlier this week to celebrate the latter’s birthday.
Throw in new £55m signing Sandro Tonali and Newcastle all of a sudden have a midfield to match any in the Prem.