The Newcastle captain had, apparently, made it clear that he saw his future elsewhere, prompting a severe and sustained backlash from supporters who've idolised him over the past few seasons.
Guimaraes set to jump ship
One can't blame the Brazilian, though, after Alexander Isak moved on last summer, then Barcelona landed Anthony Gordon before the World Cup, and Tottenham, a team that only just survived relegation on the final day of the 2025/26 season, signed Sandro Tonali.
After a lowly 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season, guaranteeing the Magpies would have no European football in 2026/27, Guimaraes could be said to be well within his rights to desert what's fast becoming a sinking ship.
There's little point in Newcastle stewing over the situation either, given that the new campaign begins shortly, and they urgently need reinforcements.
One player who has been mentioned as a potential replacement for the Brazilian is Joao Palhinha, who spent last season on loan at Spurs from Bayern Munich, and scored the vital goal which guaranteed the North Londoners their English top-flight safety for another season.
How does Joao Palhinha compare to Bruno?
At 31 years of age, the Portuguese is three years Guimaraes' senior, but how do the two compare in terms of numbers?
Taking last season as the sample size, the Brazilian took part in only 41 games due to injury, with Palhinha turning out on 45 occasions for the Lilywhites.
Given their respective positions on the field, the ability to win back the ball and distribute is paramount, and 432 one-on-ones contested by Guimaraes gave him top billing in this regard at Newcastle, even if his 49.54% success wasn't the best in the squad.
192 ball recoveries were only exceeded by those players who had made more appearances than the captain in all competitions during 2025/26.
For Palhinha, 406 one-on-ones contested was only just shy of Bruno's output, but his 60.84% success overshadows the Newcastle man by a distance. 122 ball recoveries are, however, a mammoth 70 fewer.
Moving to Arsenal will require Guimaraes to be on top of his game in terms of passing, and an 85.68% showing last season was one of the best in the Newcastle squad. Creating 62 chances across the campaign couldn't be beaten either.
Brazilian is more attack-minded than the Portuguese
The Portuguese has never really been known as a creator of goals, which might represent an issue, and his 11 created last season is way off his contemporaries' output.
At least his pass completion of 83.62% - in a team battling relegation, let's not forget - is on par with Bruno's.
51 of 76 tackles won by Guimaraes gave him a healthy 67.11% success, which is again favourable when compared to Palhinha's 57.55%.
Although the attacking side of the game for both players isn't necessarily what they would be judged on, the Brazilian's 57 shots at goal were the fourth-most of any Newcastle player last season.
Nine goals scored were only bettered by Nick Woltemade, Gordon and Harvey Barnes, and Bruno's seven assists were the most by anyone in the first team squad.
By comparison, Palhinha took just 38 shots in total, scoring seven goals and also providing three assists.
Will to win and desire are something both players share
If there's one area of their game where they're both similar, it's their incredible will to win and desire to drag their teammates along with them.
Sometimes, when things aren't going for you, you need that one player to stick their head above the parapet and produce the type of performance to galvanise the squad.
In the case of Guimaraes and Palhinha, no quarter is asked or given, and supporters can always be assured that they will give everything that they have for the cause.
Particularly where Newcastle's Toon Army are concerned, they will readily accept the shortcomings of those who pull on the famous black and white striped jersey, as long as they see 100% effort and commitment in return.
Palhinha might not be in Bruno's class, but if the Magpies do decide to bring him in as the Brazilian's replacement, the St. James' Park faithful are likely to be pleasantly surprised.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
