Why Newcastle must replace Guimaraes with £38m midfield signing

Newcastle United cannot keep stumbling over the hurdles in their path this summer, with the fanbase at their nadir after the latest fumble in the transfer window, Aston Villa hijacking their £49m move for World Cup star Johan Manzambi.

The reality is that Newcastle have no time to lick their wounds. Signings are needed – quickly – ahead of the new campaign, lest Eddie Howe‘s quivering project unravel.

Manzambi, 20, was viewed as the perfect all-action midfielder to make an instant impact at St. James’ Park, bringing a wicked mix of youthful avidity and age-belying physicality and impetus on the ball.

After all, Sandro Tonali has been sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £100m, and while skipper Bruno Guimaraes remains at the club, he has made it clear that he wants to explore a move to Arsenal, and Newcastle need to cover their bases and replace him now.

Why Newcastle must replace Guimaraes this summer

Even if Newcastle pull off a blinder and keep Guimaraes at St. James’ Park for the 2025/26 season, it’s imperative that Howe and those in the boardroom replace him with time to spare.

Why is this? Well, Newcastle have been embroiled in something of a transfer nightmare for a while now, their Midas touch in the market long gone, cursed to fall by the wayside in their attempts to strengthen Howe’s side.

The hard truth is that there is no guarantee Guimaraes will still be here come September. Arsenal have a vested interest in the 28-year-old, and personal terms have already been informally agreed.

If Newcastle cave in, as happened with Alexander Isak one year ago, then they simply cannot have sold themselves short. They need an experienced and reliable replacement brought in now.

Sean Steur has already been nabbed from Ajax for £23m, but that deal is a different entity to the Guimaraes saga, carried out on an entirely separate plane.

Steur is talented, but he’s also just 18 years of age. His composed, calculated style may also see him emerge as Tonali’s long-term heir rather than the dream replacement for Guimaraes.

Whether Newcastle manage to sign a top target is one thing, but at least PIF have set their sights on the perfect midfield profile.

Newcastle make Premier League midfielder their priority

Guimaraes is a rare profile. He is “at the heart of everything good” at Newcastle, according to club legend Alan Shearer, and attempting to replace him with a prospect like Steur would surely leave Howe’s side in dire straits next year.

However, technical director Ross Wilson could find a shrewd successor in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes, who has shone for the Old Gold over the past few years, impressive last year in spite of their relegation from the Premier League.

According to The i Paper, Newcastle are working on a number of midfield options, and while Botafogo’s Danilo is also on Howe’s radar, the Tynesiders are understood to be big fans of Gomes, 25, in particular.

Atletico Madrid’s proposed transfer for the £38m-rated Brazilian has fallen through, but Liverpool and Manchester United have both been in contact in recent weeks. Not what the Magpies want to hear, but unavoidable, should they plan to finally make headway and land players who can make a difference.

Say one thing for Wolves’ midfield ‘Pitbull’, as he is affectionately known in his Brazilian homeland, say that he knows how to duel opponents. In that, he would be the perfect Guimaraes successor.

And that’s an important factor to remember: even if Newcastle retain the services of their all-powerful captain, he turns 30 next year, and securing a success plan nice and early could bear dividends for the longer-running stability of this project. All told, there is no time to waste, and if an opportunity to sign as talented a midfielder as Gomes truly is emerging, they must pounce at it.

Signing Gomes this summer would beg the question as to whether Newcastle believe they can hold onto their skipper. For sure, his playing style leans closer toward that of his countryman than to Tonali.

In the Premier League last season, he won 6.5 duels and 3.1 tackles per game, also completing 64% of his dribbles, such qualities seeing him hailed as a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig. There’s certainly something Guimaraes-esque about that approach, so robust and convincing in his all-action ability. Given that Wolves were relegated and lacked more than an inch of creativity last term, it’s fair to say that he could come on leaps and bounds by joining the Toon.

But the hard truth is that Newcastle need midfielders, and they need them now. While Liverpool and Man United have both registered their interest in the Old Gold lieutenant, Newcastle have to keep believing that they can secure a transfer target this summer.

If you don’t shoot, you don’t score. Though the Magpies’ striking has been more than wayward across the past 12 months, they have to start hitting the target, and adding Gomes to the squad could be the catalyst for such change.