Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal is moving on a £75 million fee, with a medical scheduled to finalise the deal. Guimaraes was at a training camp in La Manga while preparing to undergo that medical. The move has already split opinion, with Jamie Carragher questioning the fit and Claude Makelele backing it.
Carragher's doubts about the fit
Carragher's main worry is not hard to follow. Speaking on goal.com, he asked: "Do you think it's the end for Zubimendi there? In terms of being what he was supposed to be when he was brought in. He was supposed to come in and be this controller. I don't see him ever getting that place back now."
He also said he would have leaned toward Sandro Tonali over Bruno, adding: "I thought he had more pace about him and could get around the pitch. I would look at Bruno and not be quite sure, I thought he was a good player but I thought, can he run? He would get fouled a lot and slowed down the game a lot."
That is a fair tactical objection. Arsenal are not signing a raw midfielder here, but the concern is whether Martín Zubimendi gets squeezed out of the controller role Carragher says he was brought in to fill.
Why Makelele sees the move differently
Makelele's view is the opposite. He told goal.com: "Arsenal tick every box. They won the Premier League, they've gone deep in the Champions League, and they're built to go again. It's always right for a good player to join a great team, and Arsenal have done great business. Bruno Guimaraes is a very good player, exceptional, as we saw with Brazil. It's his career and his decision, but his game fits Arsenal perfectly."
There is enough in Arsenal's own profile to support that confidence. They finished 1st in the 2025 Premier League with 85 points, and also finished 1st in the 2025 Champions League league phase with 24 points from 8 matches. Their last five competitive matches were five straight wins, so this is not a side being asked to carry a new signing into shape.
The numbers around Guimaraes point the same way. He has a 7.11 rating across 5 appearances and 431 minutes this season, while his recent five-match run includes a 7.15 average rating and 4 goal contributions. Declan Rice has a 7.3 rating in 7 appearances, which is why the partnership talk is obvious. Rory Jennings put it bluntly on goal.com: "Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes as a midfield duo is about as intimidating as you can get."
The £75m fee matters because it matches the scale of the ambition. It is also where the debate will stay, because Carragher's question about pace and mobility is the one real sceptical case against the move. Makelele's answer is cleaner: Arsenal are already operating like a side expected to win, and Guimaraes looks built for that level.
The deal still needs the medical to be completed, but the shape of the argument is already clear. Arsenal have moved for a midfielder who can change their options, and the only real uncertainty is whether Zubimendi keeps the role Carragher thinks he may have lost.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
