Guimarães reveals 'sleepless nights' and tears before Arsenal move

Bruno Guimarães has revealed he lost sleep and cried in front of his Newcastle teammates before completing his £75m move to Arsenal this summer, admitting the emotional toll of leaving St James' Park nearly matched the excitement of joining the Gunners.

Speaking to The Guardian, the Brazil midfielder opened up about the difficulty of breaking the news to Eddie Howe, Newcastle's owners and his teammates, describing a dressing room in tears as he said his goodbyes.

"It was not just hard to tell Eddie but to tell the owners and my teammates," Guimarães said. "I never felt so loved like the way I was at Newcastle. I hope I can have the same love here at Arsenal. It was hard for me to say bye. I remember when I said bye to the lads, I was crying. They were crying as well because we were a family there. I lost many, many nights of sleep because it was difficult for me, for my family."

The 28 year old pointed to the broader upheaval at Newcastle, with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali also departing for Barcelona and Tottenham respectively, and Howe leaving the club, as part of what made the decision easier to justify to himself even if it remained emotionally difficult to carry out.

Making an instant impact

Since arriving in north London, Guimarães has wasted little time making his mark. He scored his first Arsenal goal in a 2-0 win at Sunderland in September, fittingly against his former employers, before netting the winner at home against Leeds in the Premier League two games later. He also came close to a crucial third strike against Bayern Munich in midweek, only to be denied by a stunning Manuel Neuer save as the Champions League tie finished 2-2.

"He pulled off a miracle," Guimarães said of the veteran goalkeeper. "I asked him after the game: 'How did you manage to save that?' He said: 'I don't know. I just saved it!' He's unbelievable, one of the best keepers in the world. No matter how old he is, he is top."

Settling into Arteta's midfield

Guimarães has also spoken about building a midfield understanding alongside Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard, with Mikel Arteta rotating roles between the trio depending on the opponent. Against Bayern, Guimarães operated in a deeper role while Rice pushed further forward.

"The manager is still trying to get the best version of ourselves," he said. "I enjoy playing with him a lot; with Martin, as well. We have been on a good run so far."

The pair's past battles as rivals were well known before Guimarães's switch, with Rice reportedly messaging him during the transfer to say: "No more fights, now we're friends."

Guimarães also praised the standards being set by Arteta on a daily basis. "The mentality of the club has changed a lot and Arteta shows this perfectly," he said. "We don't accept a draw at Bayern. We always want to win. We have a top manager with a top mentality. We want to win everything possible."

Arsenal's next fixture sees Everton visit the Emirates on Saturday, before Guimarães faces an emotional return to Newcastle on 21 November.