Why Newcastle’s “future captain” is their dream Bruno Guimaraes successor

The 2025/26 Premier League campaign was certainly one to forget for everyone involved with Newcastle United Football Club.

After the highs of securing fifth-place the year prior, it’s safe to say last season was one which brought everyone supporting the Magpies back down to earth with a bump.

Eddie Howe’s side could only secure 12th place in England’s top-division – even having to watch bitter rivals Sunderland do the double over them and secure their place in Europe.

After such a season, losing key players was inevitable, with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali moving to Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively this window.

However, it could be about to get a whole lot worse for Howe and Co, especially if one other key senior member departs for pastures new before the window closes.

How Newcastle can replace Bruno Guimarães this summer

Over the last couple of weeks, reports linking Bruno Guimarães with a move away from Newcastle have been in full flow after the player himself stated his desire for a new challenge.

Arsenal are the only club to present an offer for the Brazilian international, and whilst it was rejected, there’s a distinct opportunity that Mikel Arteta’s men return with another bid.

Losing Guimarães after selling Gordon and Tonali would be catastrophic for Howe’s side and could leave the hierarchy to land possible reinforcements in the transfer window.

Johan Manzambi is one player who appeared as a key target for the Magpies – with the hierarchy even having an agreement in place with Freiburg for the 20-year-old’s signature.

However, a move has fallen apart once again on Tyneside, with the Swiss international now expected to join Premier League rivals Aston Villa after an 11th-hour hijack of the deal.

Botafogo midfielder Danilo has also been mentioned as a possible transfer target, with the Brazilian international a player who’s also admired by the likes of Manchester United.

A deal in the region of £35m would be required to land his signature, but no advances have yet been made despite recent interest in the 25-year-old’s services.

Why Newcastle already have the perfect Guimarães replacement

Delving into the transfer market would be the obvious answer to losing Guimarães this summer, but that’s not to say Newcastle don’t already have numerous players who could step up to the plate.

Former Magpies star Elliot Anderson is an example of the calibre of player the club are capable of producing – with the Englishman recently completing a £116m move to join Manchester City.

He was undoubtedly sold too prematurely, having been starved of consistent first-team minutes – but the same can’t happen with fellow youngster Lewis Miley.

Like Anderson, the 20-year-old is a product of the club’s impressive academy setup and has undoubtedly caught the eye when featuring in the senior ranks.

After his debut back in the 2022/23 campaign, the youngster has managed to rack up 80 appearances for the Magpies – even managing to find the back of the net on six occasions.

Last season was an injury-hit campaign for Miley, as he only started 15 league games, but he still managed to score once whilst laying on four assists for his teammates.

His underlying stats from the aforementioned season highlight his quality and showcase why he’s capable of replacing Guimarães at St James’ Park should he depart this window.

Midfielder Miley managed to complete a staggering 90% of his passes in 2025/26, whilst also achieving a long ball accuracy rate of 62% in the Premier League.

Both of the aforementioned tallies place him in the top 10% of all players in the division, whilst also bettering the Brazilian in both of the areas – arguably making him a better option with the ball at his feet.

He also managed to achieve a dribble success of 85% last term, further reaffirming his excellent ability to create carnage when in possession on Tyneside.

Without the ball, the youngster also caught the eye last season, as seen by his remarkable tally of 5.4 ground duels won and 9.3 defensive contributions made per 90.

The latter of the figures was better than 90% of other midfielders in England’s top-flight and led to former teammate Kieran Trippier labelling him a “future captain.”

After an injury-hit campaign last time around, it’s crucial Miley has a solid year in 2026/27 and one that can get him back on track in the early days of his career.

There’s no denying that if he gets back to the levels he demonstrated prior to his injury, he can be the perfect player to replace Guimarães should he depart this window.