Back on Saturday 8 August 2026, Bruno Guimaraes left St James’ Park, left Newcastle United, as he signed for Arsenal.

Throughout the summer transfer window it had become clear that the Gunners were doing everything they could to get the Brazil international on the cheap.

Arsenal attempting to take advantage of the fact that Bruno Guimaraes was willing to leave, Mikel Arteta and the North London club trying to sign United’s best and most important player for £50m or less and shamelessly using media stooges to try and force Newcastle’s hand.

One thing we had learned with the sales of players such as Alexander Isak (£125m), Sandro Tonali (£100m) and Anthony Gordon (£70m), was that these Newcastle United owners were never going to allow any player leave for less than the club’s valuation.

In the event, Arsenal eventually accepted that they had to belatedly act in a professional manner, made an official approach and Newcastle United reluctantly accepted £75m for a player who next Monday (16 November) will turn 29.

Nobody at Newcastle United, whether the owners, players, manager, fans, would have chosen to sell at even that price. It was only because Bruno Guimaraes wanted out and the club reluctantly allowed him to leave.

Now in ten days time Bruno Guimaraes will make his first return to St James’ Park.

A 5.30pm kick-off as Newcastle United host Arsenal.

There is zero chance of Bruno Guimaraes being named in that Arsenal team to take on Newcastle United.

He won’t want to play and Mikel Arteta won’t want to select him.

Arteta has made clear that Bruno Guimaraes is only a squad player at Arsenal, the former Newcastle United captain now used as back up to the likes of Declan Rice and defender turned midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly. The Brazil international with only four Premier League starts in his first three months at the club.

Bruno Guimaraes has always been somebody who lives on the edge when it comes to his emotions, one of the reasons why Newcastle United fans loved him so much. However, with this match he would be a walking liability for Arsenal, a fragile character in danger of at any time letting his emotions getting the better of him on his return to St James’ Park.

If we needed any further proof of his fragile state, back in October, fully four weeks before the St James’ Park return, Bruno Guimaraes made clear that it was already preying on his mind.

Almost three months after leaving Tyneside, he Arsenal player for ‘some’ reason decided to revisit the moment he left Newcastle United.

Bruno Guimaraes releasing a statement declaring it was “one of the toughest decisions of my life”…

The Arsenal player stating: “It was very difficult for me because I had an amazing relationship with everyone at Newcastle United…I did my best for the club. I was there for almost five years and inside of me, I just wanted a new challenge. To be fair, it was very tough for me to make this decision because I really enjoyed my time at the club, the affection I had for the fans. It was a difficult one. I lost many, many nights of sleep because it was difficult for me, for my family…I think I did great for Newcastle. We won a trophy after 70 years. We got into the Champions League twice. We got to two finals. I think I did what I could for the club. I wish them all the best because they were so nice to me. It is just time to move on. I have been enjoying my time here at Arsenal as well.”

Why come out with that them? It was almost as though Arsenal are due to visit St James’ Park and that fact is now in the forefront of Bruno Guimaraes’ mind…

Bruno Guimaraes going on to say: “It was not just hard to tell Eddie [Howe], but to tell the owners, my team-mates. But I think the club went to a new rotation, a lot of players left as well. The gaffer left as well. It was tough, because my connection with the club was unbelievable. I never felt so loved like the way I was at Newcastle. I hope I can have the same love here at Arsenal, but the connection I had was unbelievable. It was hard for me to say bye to them. I remember, when I said bye to the lads, I was crying. They were crying as well, because we were a family there.”

Bruno Guimaraes needs to put his violin away. Nobody put a gun to his head, he chose to leave St James’ Park.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with him deciding to leave after more than four and a half years at St James’ Park. Almost all players decide to leave one or more clubs at some point and/or the clubs decide that themselves. You can’t have it both ways though.

Eddie Howe, the Newcastle United players and fans, were special to Bruno Guimaraes, just not special enough. Bruno Guimaraes simply showed us that he was not really any different to any other player, making a decision for his own benefit at the expense of the club that he says was so special to him. He made the decision, nobody else, so now he has to accept the consequences when he visits St James’ Park.

I won’t be giving Bruno Guimaraes any abuse on Saturday 21 November but I won’t be clapping him either. He chose to play for another club and their fans, he is no longer anything special at Newcastle United. He was when he was here but that was the past.

As I said earlier, absolutely zero chance that Bruno Guimaraes will start the game on 21 November.

The only chance the Newcastle United fans will get the chance to show their ‘appreciation’ for their former captain will be during the warm-up. Unless say Arsenal go a couple of goals up, then I could maybe see the possibility of Bruno Guimaraes coming on as a late sub.

The excuse for his omission from the Arsenal team that faces Newcastle United, will no doubt be the fact that he is currently away with Brazil. They play Japan on Saturday 14 November and then play Singapore the day after Bruno turns 29 on Tuesday 17 November, in Singapore. The travelling etc will be blamed for his omission from the Arsenal team that plays at St James’ Park.

It will be a strange experience seeing Bruno Guimaraes back at St James’ Park.

Somebody who was such a key and inspirational figure for Newcastle United, first name on the team sheet, now sitting on the opposition bench and desperate not to be asked to step onto the pitch.