Why Manchester City must sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle this summer

After another successful season, Manchester City will soon be looking to evolve their squad as they cement their unwavering hold on English football.

With the summer transfer window approaching, it remains to be seen exactly how the Premier League champions will look to refine their squad.

However, with the anticipated departure of Kalvin Phillips coupled with the unfortunate possibility of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne leaving the club, it is conceivable that the reigning champions will opt to bolster their midfield ranks due to potential departures.

Having won a fourth successive Premier League title last term, City’s current squad is naturally stocked with a range of renowned first-class talent and as a result there are a finite number of ideal candidates who could realistically join the club, acclimatise quickly and improve. team.

While there are few players in that regard, there are fewer players who are potentially available this summer. But there is one particular Premier League star who is apparently a perfect option and may even be snapped up in the coming months: Bruno Guimaraes.

Ahead of his arrival in the Premier League in January 2022, Guimaraes has previously established a reputation as one of the most exciting and promising young active players in Europe, partly thanks to his impressive performances throughout Lyon’s 2019/20 Champions League campaign , during which the French outfit (ironically) defeated Manchester City en route to the semi-finals.

The following term, Guimaraes further upped his game in Ligue 1 and just over 18 months after impressing in Europe’s elite competition, his technical prowess and obvious development convinced the Magpies to part with a figure reported £35m to secure Brazil’s services. international – a fee that, in retrospect, seems like a bit of a bargain.

Upon arriving in England, Guimaraes quickly established himself as one of the most talented and hard-working midfielders in the Premier League – a trait that did not go unnoticed by Pep Guardiola, who in March this year praised the 26-year-old as “exceptional “. ” and a “fully owned midfielder”.

Interestingly, Guimaraes has previously expressed his admiration for City’s Catalan coach, with the Brazilian referring to Guardiola as a “genius” and “the best coach in history”.

Due to the public mutual respect between Guimaraes and Guardiola, it’s reasonable to bet that both men would be enthralled by the opportunity to work together, and likely will soon.

While it is seemingly obvious that Bruno Guimaraes would be more than open to playing for Guardiola, whether or not the Brazilian would be a good fit for Manchester City is another matter, however, the stats suggest that he would be an excellent signing for the Premier League Champions.

Firstly, the main statistic to examine when investigating whether a midfielder would be capable of playing a key role in City’s current squad is their passing ability, and the data indicates that Guimaraes’ ability to play the ball is more than enough to be a smart addition to the Champion’s squad.

For example, in the last quarter, Guimaraes recorded an 85% pass success rate – higher than the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (84%) and Cole Palmer (83%), and considering that Guimaraes has recorded these statistics in an inconsistent manner. side that somehow finished below Chelsea last term, it’s conceivable that Guimaraes would be more than capable of improving his ability to hold the ball should the Brazilian find himself in east Manchester next season.

While Guimaraes’ ability on the ball is obvious to those who have regularly watched his performances in recent years, it is also worth noting the Brazilian’s willingness to get involved in the build-up game of his current team and the sheer volume of passes proves this, as last season Guimaraes recorded the 4th most successful passes in the division (1923) behind only Rodri, Pascal Gross and Declan Rice.

Furthermore, Guimaraes is also adept at producing accurate passes under pressure in attacking phases, as the Brazil international ranked 12th among Premier League players for successful passes (1,032) in the opposition half last term – recording , also a pass success rate in the opposition half of 78% – better than the likes of Kai Havertz and James Maddison (both 77%).

Moreover, it is relevant to recognize that last term, Guimaraes operated in a team that amassed a good but not outstanding average of 52.2% possession per game, a far cry from 65.2%. Therefore, logic dictates that if Guimaraes were to find himself in a better-tuned, possession-focused system, then the stats he averaged last term would see a significant improvement if he joined this summer.

While it’s clear that Guimaraes is comfortable in possession in both halves of the pitch, other factors that scouts will be investigating are his defensive capabilities and off-the-ball work, and once again, the stats also indicate that the Brazil international is exceptional . in this regard.

For example, last season only six Premier League midfielders made more successful tackles than Guimaraes (54), ahead of the likes of Declan Rice and Yves Bissouma (both 52). Furthermore, Guimaraes led the league in last quarter possession rebounds (236) – ahead of the likes of Rodri (235) and William Saliba (213), thus proving his defensive prowess.

Renowned for his high-intensity style, the 26-year-old’s energetic performances have seen him become a popular figure among the Newcastle faithful, although his work-rate is obvious to the eye.

The fact that Guimaraes covered 423.09km across his 37 Premier League appearances last season – the most of any Premier League player – certainly proves that he is one of the hardest working players plying his trade in the Premier League League.

Along with his industrious approach to midfield play and proficiency in both possession and defensive aspects of the game, Guimaraes has also shown the ability to create and score goals despite often operating in a somewhat deep position.

For example, last season Guimaraes recorded a decent return of seven goals without a penalty – more than Martin Odegaard, while the Brazilian star also registered eight assists – the same as fellow Premier League midfielders Phil Foden and Bruno Fernandes.

Able to operate effectively in both a holding role and as a dynamic box-to-box midfielder, Guimaraes can defend, retain possession, create opportunities and finish chances, he is the quintessential complete midfielder for the modern game and only 26 years old. , the best is definitely yet to come.

And with Guimaraes’ ability to operate in numerous midfield roles, it’s conceivable he’d be able to pair him effectively with Rodri, while perhaps deputizing for the Spaniard in a holding role when needed .

If Manchester City are in need of a midfielder this summer, then there are few (if any) players better suited to the Champions’ style of play, and should that be the case, signing Bruno Guimaraes is simply a no-brainer.