How Newcastle can create their next Bruno Guimaraes for £50m

Newcastle United supporters had to watch on as Bruno Guimaraes lifted his first trophy with his new club after winning the Community Shield on Sunday.

The Brazil international started for Arsenal in their 3-0 win over Manchester City to secure the trophy, making it his first piece of silverware since he won the League Cup under Eddie Howe.

His £75m move to the Premier League champions has not been an easy one for the supporters to digest because he became an icon at St. James’ Park after more than four years on Tyneside.

Newcastle have already signed Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur to bolster their ranks in midfield, but the club should be looking for another reinforcement in that area of the park.

Why Newcastle need to sign another midfielder

Bamba and Steur have both arrived as young players, aged 20 and 18 respectively, who have no prior experience in the Premier League and cannot be expected to hit the ground running this season.

Whilst the Magpies will have high hopes for them in the long-term, it is a big ask for them to both step up to replace Sandro Tonali and Guimaraes, who have been sold for a combined £175m this summer.

Matthias Jaissle has lost two of the club’s key midfielders, one leaving before he replaced Howe, and is now short on experienced quality in the middle of the park.

Guimaraes and Tonali combined for nine goals and 13 ‘big chances’ created in the Premier League last term, and the Magpies will have to find a way to replace that output for the upcoming season.

That is why the club should be in the market to add another midfielder to their ranks before the deadline next month, to ensure that there is not too much weight on Bamba and Steur’s shoulders in their first year in England.

How Newcastle can unearth their next Bruno Guimaraes

Now, the board are said to be looking at a player who could arrive at St. James’ Park as a star with the potential to be the second coming of Guimaraes on Tyneside.

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle United are lining up a potential deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur central midfielder Lucas Bergvall before the deadline.

The report claims that the Magpies have already held talks with Spurs over a possible move for the Sweden international, as they discussed the possibility during negotiations for Tonali earlier this summer.

It adds that the club made further enquiries after that sale and were informed that it would take a fee of around £50m to sign the youngster, who is also wanted by Nottingham Forest, and it now remains to be seen whether or not they are willing to pay that price.

At the age of 20, Bergvall is a young player, like Bamba and Steur, who still has plenty to prove at senior level, but the advantage he has over the two Newcastle signings is that he is experienced in the Premier League.

The Swedish whiz has already racked up 50 Premier League matches and 78 games for Tottenham in his two years in England, even winning the Europa League in the 2024/25 campaign.

His per 90 statistics in the league last season suggest that he has the potential to develop into a Guimaraes-esque talent if given more regular game time, as he only started 11 of his 23 appearances in the division.

Guimaraes became a star at Newcastle because of how much of an impact he could have on matches in all phases of play, being combative off the ball, dynamic with the ball at his feet, and creative in the final third.

Whilst Bergvall has yet to thrive as a goalscorer, scoring two goals in 78 games for Spurs, his statistics show that he can excel as a tackler, a dribbler, and as a creative midfielder.

The Sweden international scored one goal and provided three assists in 11 starts in the Premier League last term, whilst he has assisted nine goals in 78 matches in total for the club.

During his time with Djurgårdens IF, Bergvall scored nine goals and provided six assists in 47 first-team appearances, which shows that the potential to score goals on a regular basis from midfield is waiting to be unlocked.

The 20-year-old talent, therefore, has all the attributes required to go on to become Newcastle’s new version of Guimaraes, as he has the well-rounded midfield qualities and two years of Premier League experience under his belt.

Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

That is why Jaissle should push for the board to strike a £50m deal for him before the end of the window so that the German boss can provide the youngster with the platform that he needs to fulfill his potential.