Arsenal are finalising a deal for Bruno Guimarães. Multiple reports indicate the fee will land just over £75 million, with personal terms already agreed. Newcastle's captain has told the club he wants to leave after a disappointing campaign, and with Anthony Gordon (Barcelona) and Sandro Tonali (Tottenham) already gone, the Magpies are losing their spine.
But does Arsenal's midfield actually need Guimarães? They already have Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi, Martin Ødegaard, and Hannibal Mejbri. To answer the question properly, we ran a Scout52 comparison across Arsenal's current options — plus external alternatives — to see where Guimarães fits and what he adds.
The answer is clear: he outrates every single one of them.
The S52 Comparison: Arsenal's Midfield Ranked
| Player | Club | Age | S52 | Archetype |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Guimarães | Newcastle | 28 | 7.64 | Elite Box-to-Box |
| Declan Rice | Arsenal | 27 | 6.97 | Elite Deep Playmaker |
| Martin Ødegaard | Arsenal | 27 | 6.58 | Elite Creative Maestro |
| Hannibal Mejbri | Arsenal | 23 | 7.30 | Elite Box-to-Box |
| Leo Walta | Swansea | 23 | 7.30 | Pressing Forward (Tier 2) |
| Martín Zubimendi | Arsenal | 27 | 6.42 | Limited Midfielder |
Guimarães leads by a significant margin. His S52 score of 7.64 sits 0.67 above Rice (6.97) and a full 1.22 above Zubimendi (6.42). On the headline number alone, he's the best midfielder in this group — and it's not particularly close.
But the S52 score is an overall composite. The real insight comes from breaking it down by individual metrics.
Where Guimarães Leads — and Where He Doesn't
Guimarães' Elite Box-to-Box archetype tells the story. He doesn't specialise in one area — he contributes everywhere.
- Work Rate: 9.2 (Elite) — the highest in the group. He covers more ground, makes more recoveries, and sustains intensity deeper into matches than any Arsenal midfielder
- Passing: 9.4 (Elite) — elite-level distribution, matching or exceeding what Ødegaard provides from a deeper starting position
- Goal Threat: 7.23 (Elite) — this is where the gap is most significant. None of Arsenal's current midfielders reach the Elite band for goal threat. Rice and Zubimendi both sit in the Average range. Guimarães scores goals from midfield at a rate none of them can match
The key insight: Arsenal's current midfield splits duties — Rice as the engine, Zubimendi as the pivot, Ødegaard as the creator. Guimarães' composite profile suggests he covers several of those roles in one player. That's the appeal: squad consolidation at the highest level.
What Arsenal's Current Midfielders Do Well
The comparison isn't all one-way. Arsenal's incumbents have strengths Guimarães doesn't match:
- Declan Rice (S52: 6.97, Elite Deep Playmaker): Still Arsenal's engine. His deep playmaking role — breaking up play and distributing from the base of midfield — is a different skill set to Guimarães' box-to-box profile. They'd complement each other rather than compete
- Martin Ødegaard (S52: 6.58, Elite Creative Maestro): Arsenal's creative hub. His Defensive composite is the weakest in the group at 1.79 (Poor), but his Elite Creative Maestro archetype reflects exactly what he does — orchestrate the final third. Guimarães creates from deeper, they serve different tactical roles
- Hannibal Mejbri (S52: 7.30, Elite Box-to-Box): The interesting internal comparison. Mejbri shares Guimarães' archetype (Elite Box-to-Box) and nearly matches his Work Rate (9.8 vs 9.2 — Mejbri actually leads). His Ball Carry of 6.7 (Elite, top 10% for 21-23) adds a dimension Arsenal's other midfielders lack. At 23, he's a rotation option (1,253 minutes) rather than an established starter, but his composite profile suggests genuine quality. The question is whether Guimarães blocks his development or accelerates it through competition
- Martín Zubimendi (S52: 6.42): Scout52's "Limited Midfielder" tag is harsh but reflects his composite profile. He's a positional specialist — excellent at what he does (screening, recycling) but narrower in output than the others. He trails the group in overall rating but fills a specific tactical need that Guimarães' more expansive profile doesn't replicate
The External Alternatives
We also compared three other midfielders who've been in the market conversation:
Anton Stach — Leeds United
Stach actually rates second-best of the recruitable options at 7.22 — also tagged Elite Box-to-Box, the same archetype as Guimarães. His Chance Creation composite (4.62, Elite) even edges Guimarães in that specific metric. If Arsenal wanted a box-to-box midfielder at a lower fee, Stach's composite profile makes a compelling case. We covered Stach in detail here.
Leo Walta — Swansea City
DEF 3.2 · CRE 4.4 (Good, top 10% for 21-23) · GTH 8.8 (Elite, top 10%) · CAR 4.6 · PAS 8.0 (Good) · WRK 7.8
Walta's standout is his Goal Threat — 0.54 goals per 90 and an 8.8 composite is elite from midfield. His recent form is trending up sharply (last 5 average 8.56 vs season 7.74). However, his composites are benchmarked against Tier 2, not Tier 1. Like Tzolis' Belgian league adjustment, the league-strength question matters. His Tier 1 equivalents show Goal Threat and Chance Creation holding at Elite/Good level, but Passing drops from Good to Above Average. At 23 with 2,675 minutes as a regular starter, he's a name to watch if he moves to a Tier 1 league.
Mateus Fernandes — Tottenham (via West Ham, £85m)
Fernandes rates 7.15 and grades as the best defensive contributor of the whole group (4.84, Good), but trails significantly in chance creation and goal threat. At 22, he's still in a "breakthrough" development phase rather than the peak-age profile the others share. His composites skew toward defensive work — a different profile to what Arsenal are targeting with Guimarães.
Did Tottenham Jump Too Early?
Spurs completed Fernandes' £85 million club-record move from West Ham on 2 July — weeks before the Guimarães saga heated up. In terms of beating the market and moving early, it was smart business.
Whether it was good business is a different question.
On Scout52's numbers, Fernandes (7.15) rates below both Guimarães (7.64) and Stach (7.22) as an all-round midfielder. His output skews toward defensive work rather than the goal threat and chance creation that define elite box-to-box profiles. If Arsenal land Guimarães at circa £75 million for a more complete, higher-rated player, Spurs will have paid £10 million more for a lower-rated profile who's six years younger but considerably less proven.
The counter-argument: Fernandes is 22. He has a decade of development ahead. Guimarães is 28 — you're buying peak-years performance, not long-term appreciation. Both approaches have merit. The composite data simply confirms that right now, today, Guimarães is the superior midfielder on every metric except defensive contribution.
What Guimarães Adds to Arsenal
Based on the composite comparison, Guimarães fills a specific gap in Arsenal's midfield that doesn't currently exist:
- Midfield goals: Elite Goal Threat (7.23) from midfield. Arsenal's current options — Rice and Zubimendi — all sit in the Average band. Guimarães adds a genuine goal threat from the engine room that Arsenal haven't had since Ramsey
- Elite passing from deep: His Passing composite of 9.4 (Elite) means Arsenal can build from deeper positions without relying solely on Ødegaard to create. Two elite passers in midfield gives Arteta more tactical flexibility
- Sustained intensity: Work Rate of 9.2 (Elite) is the highest in the comparison group. He won't fade at 70 minutes. Combined with Rice's engine and Mejbri's work rate, Arsenal would have one of the most relentless midfield units in Europe
- Tactical flexibility: His Elite Box-to-Box archetype means he can play Rice's role, compete with Mejbri for the 8 position, or sit alongside Ødegaard in a double pivot. He doesn't need a specific slot — he adapts to the system
The Broader Context
This is Arsenal in win-now mode. Alongside Guimarães, they're working on Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) and Julian Alvarez. They've already signed Christos Tzolis and Viktor Gyokeres this window. The reigning Premier League champions are building a squad for sustained dominance, not incremental improvement.
Guimarães at £75 million looks like the best value midfield signing available. His S52 score of 7.64 beats every current Arsenal midfielder by a significant margin. He's 28 — prime years, immediate impact, proven in the Premier League. The composite data doesn't just support the signing. It suggests Arsenal would be making a mistake by not doing it.
Newcastle, meanwhile, face an existential question. They've already lost Gordon and Tonali this summer. Losing their captain — a player they bought for £40 million and are selling for nearly double — is good business financially. But the squad they're left with is unrecognisable from the one that challenged for the top four two years ago.
Explore the Full Comparison
Bruno Guimarães' composite profile and the full midfield comparison tool are available in the Scout52 platform. Compare any group of players across all six composites, archetypes, and per-90 data.