The 2022 January transfer window was always going to be crucial to Newcastle United. In the midst of a relegation battle, they needed to bring in players not only to complement new manager Eddie Howe's preferences, but to improve in several key positions. One of those positions was central midfield, where the Magpies lacked bite. Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Lyon for a fee of around £40 million, is expected to solve that problem.
Guimaraes first made his name in his native Brazil, with Athletico Paranaense. He won a number of trophies during his time with the club, quickly establishing himself as an integral part of their midfield. In 2019, he made the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A Team of the Year. Months later, he joined French side Lyon.
It only took Guimaraes a few months to learn French, suggesting he can settle in quickly to a new environment. That bodes well as he starts life with Newcastle, where he must adapt fast to help them in their bid for Premier League survival. Certainly, Howe believes the 24-year-old can make an impact right away.
"Bruno is a hugely exciting talent. He strengthens the group immediately," Howe said upon confirmation of the signing. "He has been one of the standout performers in France and is a full international for Brazil so I have no doubt our supporters will really enjoy watching him."
Guimaraes has been on national team duty of late, and played a part in his country's 4-0 win over Paraguay in World Cup qualifying. Coming on in the second half to win his fourth cap, with a run into the box and a simple cut-back he set up Real Madrid forward Rodrygo to score Brazil's final goal of the game.
Setting up goals, however, isn't the player's remit, and it's not why Newcastle have brought him in. He became a regular in Lyon's starting line-up in the first half of this season, playing as one half of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 system (see below). That's probably the role he will play at Newcastle. Howe has adopted 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formations at various points, but the likelihood is he will pair Guimaraes with Jonjo Shelvey at the base of midfield from now on.
Crucially, Guimaraes is a two-way midfielder – he can help in breaking up play, and also kick-start the team's possession game. This is something Newcastle have lacked for years. Shelvey is a pure ball-player, while Joe Willock is an attack-minded runner. Joelinton may have taken on a destructive midfield role in recent weeks, but he is a converted forward.
Statistically, Guimaraes stood out in two categories during his time at Lyon – tackling and pass completion. He compares well to Shelvey in both defensive and offensive metrics: according to WhoScored, this term he has averaged more tackles, interceptions and passes, creating more chances, completing more dribbles and obtaining a higher pass accuracy.
Defensively, Guimaraes is committed and unafraid to get stuck in. That mentality should help him amid the rough and tumble of Premier League football, and should give Newcastle's centre-backs a much-needed upgrade in midfield protection. He is 6ft tall and has a strong upper-body, which he uses to out-muscle opponents in 1-v-1 situations. In the example below, taken from Lyon's away win over Scottish champions Rangers, the 24-year-old reads the play and gets his body between the opponent and the ball to win possession for his side.
One area where Guimaraes will be tested is his athleticism. The pace of the Premier League is intense, with a lot of end-to-end action. He is not particularly quick and his strength will not necessarily stand out in this league, so he will need ensure his positioning is spot on while he adjusts to the physicality of the English game.
On the ball, he will likely keep things simple. The reason behind his high pass completion with Lyon is that he rarely takes unnecessary risks. He prefers to distribute to the nearest teammate and keep possession ticking with short and sideways passing. Every now and then he may try to punch a ball through for an attacker, as in the example below, but he generally focuses on ball retention.
Guimaraes won't hide, either. He moves to support possession, drifting to the sides to make himself available to the centre-backs and offering for the pass inside when the full-backs have possession. Occasionally he will break forward from midfield, but for the most part he stays deep. Under pressure, he combines decent strength with good close control to protect the ball. He also has a bit of trickery in his locker to get past his man.
Newcastle needed to sign a midfielder who could screen the defence more effectively whilst also suiting Howe's desire to play a more attacking game. Guimaraes ticks both boxes and is an improvement on what they had before. He has adjusted well to new leagues in the past and, assuming he does so again, could prove pivotal to his new club's chances of staying in the Premier League.
