For Bruno Guimarães, it was a time to show his steeliness, to fix his eyes on the prize – even if he knew it would surely mean them welling up. And then some. It was a tumultuous summer for the Brazil midfielder. A fine World Cup on a personal level was marred by a crucial penalty miss in the last-16 loss against Norway. Now he had the dream move lined up to Arsenal but it could not happen without breaking some hearts at Newcastle.

Guimarães admits he lay awake at night as the emotions swirled. How could he leave Newcastle, the club where he made so many connections and enjoyed so many highs after joining from Lyon in January 2022? There were the Champions League qualifications and, above all, the Carabao Cup triumph in 2025 that ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy. On the other hand, how could he resist Arsenal and the prospect of competing regularly for the game’s top honours?

Sometimes, you simply have to take a deep breath and the plunge. Nobody wants to die wondering. Guimarães knew the Newcastle team was breaking up. Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali had gone to Barcelona and Tottenham. The manager, Eddie Howe, was at the end of the line and he would also leave. Guimarães went through with the £75m transfer and nobody can say it has not worked out so far.

Arsenal felt he would provide a different element for them, different ways of unlocking defences. Plus his trademark work rate and snarl. Guimarães has brought all of that. Already he has made a difference. He even gave a little back to Newcastle when he scored his first Arsenal goal at Sunderland in September. It paved the way for a 2-0 victory. Two Premier League games later, he scored the winner at home against Leeds.

Guimarães almost got another vital goal on Wednesday in the Champions League tie at Bayern Munich only for Manuel Neuer to deny him with an outrageous save. That would have put Arsenal 2-1 up. The game finished 2-2, Arsenal fighting until the end and equalising through Declan Rice in the 82nd minute. Still, it has not been easy for Guimarães and he surely has Arsenal’s visit to Newcastle on 21 November circled in his diary. His greatest hope is that he can build the same relationships at his new club.

“It was not just hard to tell Eddie but to tell the owners and my teammates [about deciding to leave Newcastle],” Guimarães says. “But I think the club went to a new rotation; a lot of players left, as well. The gaffer left. 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.

“It was hard for me to say bye. I remember when I said bye to the lads, I was crying. They were crying as well because we were a family there. I lost many, many nights of sleep because it was difficult for me, for my family. But sometimes in your life you have to make decisions and in my mind, I needed a new challenge. I wish Newcastle all the best because they were so nice to me. It is just time to move on and I’ve been enjoying my time here at Arsenal, as well.”

Guimarães is enjoying his burgeoning midfield partnership with Rice, not to mention Martin Ødegaard, who tends to be the most advanced of the trio. That said, there is plenty of fluidity between the positions. There is the sense that the manager, Mikel Arteta, is searching for the perfect balance.

“Declan can play – like me – as a No 6, No 8 or No 10,” Guimarães says. “The manager is still trying to get the best version of ourselves. Against Bayern, I played more as a No 6, Declan played more as a No 8. I enjoy playing with him a lot; with Martin, as well. We have been on a good run so far.”

Guimarães’s battles when he was at Newcastle against Rice have been well documented. He said Rice had messaged him as he prepared to sign for Arsenal, saying: “No more fights, now we’re friends.” Guimarães is the player you loathe when he is against you but love when he is in your ranks.

What was the worst thing Guimarães said to Rice when they were in opposition? “It is difficult to say,” he replies with a smile. “I am like this when I play against teams. When we were playing against each other, I was not nice to him, he was not nice to me! Now we try to help each other on the pitch.”

Guimarães cannot believe how Neuer kept out his close-range header; the 40-year-old goalkeeper clawed the ball up against the crossbar and away. “He pulled off a miracle,” Guimarães says. “I asked him after the game: ‘How did you manage to save that?’ He said: ‘I don’t know. I just saved it!’ He’s unbelievable, one of the best keepers in the world. No matter how old he is, he is top.”

What Guimarães has seen with clarity is the remorselessness of the collective attitude at Arsenal; the insatiable will to win, which comes from Arteta. Next up for them is Everton at home on Saturday. Guimarães knows he is in the right place.

“The mentality of the club has changed a lot and Arteta shows this perfectly,” Guimarães says. “We don’t accept a draw at Bayern. We always want to win. That is the mentality that we go to the training ground with every day. Arteta is always a little bit addicted to videos and the way that he can make us feel better on the pitch. We have a top manager with a top mentality. We want to win everything possible.”