It all came together under Eddie Howe at Newcastle United, eh?
Newcastle has been on quite a rollercoaster ride of emotions and experiences over the past five years. The fans won’t change a thing even though they lifted the Carabao Cup after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and beating Liverpool at Wembley.
Howe probably left at the right time. His draft has soared, but whether he is the best man to manage the next phase at St James’ Park is another matter.
It was Bruno Guimaraes’ decision to leave and join Arsenal. What a captain. What an invaluable part of an unforgettable era.
Why was Bruno Guimaraes special at Newcastle?
Without Guimaraes at the heart of Howe’s Newcastle system, it is conceivable that the Premier League could have kept the club in the trenches. The Brazilian was such a superstar in midfield.
A leader with excellent technical skills, there is a real case to be made that Guimaraes is “one of the best midfielders in the world”, as claimed by journalist Jake Enthwistle. Arsenal certainly think so and are paying £75m to bring him to the Emirates this summer.
We can’t begrudge the former Toon captain his desire to make a move at one of the world’s top performing clubs. He turns 30 in a year. He won the lot at St James’ Park, played the center of Howe’s system from the outset, and Newcastle fell by the wayside in the passing period.
Guimaraes’ Premier League career with Newcastle | ||
|---|---|---|
The season | Programs | Goals + Assists |
25/26 | 29 | 9 + 5 |
24/25 | 38 | 5 + 6 |
23/24 | 37 | 7 + 8 |
22/23 | 32 | 4 + 5 |
21/22 | 17 | 5 + 1 |
“Newcastle” rebuilt the midfield. There’s the likes of Matthias Jaissle, Nico Gonzalez, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba and others still standing from the previous chapter.
However, replacing Guimaraes will require more than just positional value, and the Magpies appear to have found their new Bruno in the form of a wide man.
Howcastle struck gold in the new Guimaraes
Guimaraes was a superstar at Newcastle and it was undeniably difficult to see him leave this summer, but after so many years of service, he cannot be considered a bargain. bad business.
Although his leadership and drive will be missed for a while, Jaissle might just find the perfect solution at Lewis Hall.
Hall, 22, has been huge so far this season, hailed by BBC reporter Harry De Cosemo as “England’s best left-back”, scoring and assisting in five Premier League appearances. More importantly, he has 2.6 tackles, 6.2 tackles and 7.2 rebounds per game, confirming that yes, he is the best left-back in England right now, perhaps in all of English football.
It should also be noted that Hall began his career in the middle of the park as a child on his way to Chelsea’s youth academy. This can be seen in his passing game, his skill and confidence and his composure in possession and his intensity when running.
Manchester United came calling this summer, determined to solve their never-ending problems at left-back by signing Hall. Newcastle stood firm, demanding £75m for their emerging talisman and resisting Old Trafford’s efforts.
Now Hall has taken a liking to this fledgling Toon project and has signed a new deal at the club. More chips have been placed in Newcastle manager Ross Wilson’s corner of the table. After signing Hall from Chelsea for £28m, there is no doubt that his value will increase to at least £47m, possibly more.
It’s been a strong start to the season for the England international, whose performances for club and country have made Thomas Tuchel look foolish for overlooking him ahead of the World Cup.
Hall’s future may not be in midfield, but his captaincy on Tyneside, with elite potential to make his name as the new version of Guimaraes, is certain.