Arsenal have completed the signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United in a deal worth £75million, adding further strength and depth to Mikel Arteta’s midfield ranks.

The Brazilian becomes one of the north London club’s most significant additions of the summer, joining a squad already brimming with Premier League and Champions League quality following last season’s title triumph.

Guimaraes leaves St James’ Park as club captain, having established himself as one of the division’s most complete midfielders since arriving from Lyon back in 2022. His switch to the Emirates now sets up an intriguing dynamic alongside Declan Rice, given their history on the pitch.

Bruno Guimaraes Reveals Declan Rice Text Message

REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Speaking in his first interview since completing the move, Guimaraes revealed he had already received a message from his new teammate. Rice, who has previously clashed with Guimaraes during fixtures between Arsenal and Newcastle, wasted no time in extending an olive branch ahead of his arrival.

See what Guimaraes had to say in his interview below:

The pair have been involved in feisty exchanges in previous meetings between the two sides, frequently squaring up to each other, though Guimaraes’ arrival now means those battles will be a thing of the past, at least when it comes to facing off against one another.

How Arsenal’s Midfield Could Look with Guimaraes

Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

The Brazilian gives Arteta an embarrassment of riches in central midfield, with Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino all already vying for regular minutes. The Brazilian’s versatility, able to operate as a No. 6 or a more advanced No. 8, gives Arteta license to rotate and adapt depending on the opponent, and in his own word is among the best in Europe.

It also raises the ceiling of what Arsenal’s midfield three could look like on their best days, with Rice potentially freed up to push further forward alongside Odegaard, while Guimaraes anchors things from a deeper role.

Competition for places will be fierce, but that’s exactly the kind of strength in depth Arteta has been building towards, as they enter a new Premier League season as champions for the first time since 2004.

Tottenham are now said to have identified a new forward target as they contemplate strengthening at the top end of the pitch. Spurs are now concentrating on attacking recruits after taking care of their defence and midfield with a club-record spending bill of £237million.

Roberto De Zerbi is backed like no other Spurs boss before him, with the club hoping to go from back-to-back bottom-half finishes to European qualification. Big squad changes are required, and the board is sticking to their word by splashing hundreds of millions in a bid to achieve their objective.

A winger looks to be next for Spurs, but a striker may also be signed, perhaps depending on whether Dominic Solanke or Richarlison leave.

Spurs now considering Mikautadze transfer

According to journalist Paul O’Keefe, Tottenham are considering a deal to sign Villarreal forward Georges Mikautadze. He posted on X: “Georges Mikautadze among the names attracting interest from Tottenham as they look to strengthen their attack.”

Mikautadze cost Villarreal up to €36million (£30,8m) last summer, arriving from Olympique Lyon, and he scored 12 times in La Liga in his first season with the club. The forward is under a long-term deal and his release clause is unclear at this stage, but it’s likely it is around €50million or more.

“We can’t maintain this level of spending and effort every year. We have to balance the accounts for the 2026–27 season and, even while playing in the Champions League, we may have to make a sale.” – Fernando Roig, Villarreal owner

Villarreal owner Fernando Roig has said the club will likely sell one player this summer to keep their finances ticking over, even after securing back-to-back qualification for the Champions League for the first time in their history. But Mikautadze will not be under consideration to be sold, with the Yellow Submarine likely to allow Pape Gueye to move on amid Premier League interest.

Mikautadze was seen as a statement signing following Champions League qualification last summer, and as the club’s main striker, a sale is unlikely.

Strikers linked with Tottenham this summer

• Omar Marmoush
• Victor Osimhen
• Benjamin Sesko
• Folarin Balogun
• Nicolas Jackson
• Georges Mikautadze

What kind of player is Georges Mikautadze?

Mikautadze has an extraordinary technical ability. That’s not to say he is one of the best players in the world, which would be too strong, but his technical ability is at an elite level. He is the sort of player who has that something special, and like any player of that mould, it doesn’t always come off.

But Mikautadze is a confident finisher. He loves to chip the goalkeeper when it’s on, and you’ll often seen deft finishes from the Georgia international, rather than powerful strikes. He can play a fox in the box type of role, but he also likes to drift elsewhere to pick up the ball on the edge of the box and attempt curlers from a little further out.

What he is not is a dominant striker who is going to hold the ball up or win headers consistently. Mikautadze needs the ball at his feet to succeed. Like many of those sorts of players, he can go missing in a more direct game, but if he is given the ball to feet or in behind, he has rapid pace and can damage teams quickly with his technical ability. He has quick feet and trickery, and at 25 years of age, he is starting to really polish that, with his first LaLiga season seeing him become a little more disciplined with how he uses the ball.

Marcelino, who was in charge of Villarreal last season, said of the forward: “He’s a little anarchic, intuitive, intelligent, a great finisher with both feet.”

He added in October of last year: “Georges is a player who is still adapting. He’s showing his qualities. He has countless resources and can finish against top-class goalkeepers. He can give us an outstanding performance and help us achieve our objectives.”

The son of WWE legend Scott Steiner and cousin Raw Superstar of Bron Breakker, Brock Rechsteiner, was hit with a six-game suspension from the NFL on Thursday evening.

No official reason was provided at the time of the announcement, but the news is a huge blow to the 23-year-old wide receiver’s hopes of making the New Orleans Saints’ 53-man roster for the upcoming NFL season.

Much like his famous family members, Rechsteiner is an impressive athlete. He stands at 6ft 2in and weighs in at 101 kg.

His college career was spent at Jacksonville State University and last year he ended the season with 36 receptions for 383 yards and five touchdowns. During this year’s NFL Draft, he was unselected. However, his performance at the Saints’ rookie mini-camp was enough to land him a shot at making the team.

Why Brock Rechsteiner Was Suspended By the NFL

His dreams of becoming an NFL star, though, may now be over after the real reason behind his ban emerged. Per a tweet from Saints insider Ayre Pulli, Rechsteiner was suspended “for violating the NFL-NFLPA performance-enhancing substances policy.”

Normally, a first-time offense like this would equal to a four-game ban, so Rechsteiner receiving a six-game ban suggests that not only was he caught with performance-enhancing substances, but there is also the implication that there was an attempt made to manipulate the test results, which is what would create that extra two game suspension.

In view of his suspension, most pundits now believe that his chances of making the Saints’ roster this year are minimal. He will still be able to take part in pre-season training and games, but would be ineligible for more than a third of the team’s regular season schedule once the six-game ban kicks in at the start of the season.

With his hopes of making the team all but over, Rechsteiner at least has a back-up plan; professional wrestling.

Vowing to follow his family members into the ring, Brock has previously stated: “I want to pursue football as long as I can, play as long as I can, but once I’m done, I’ll get into wrestling, too.”

Bron Breakker, the older cousin of Rechsteiner, also attempted to make a name for himself in the NFL before heading into WWE. In 2020, Breakker signed with the Baltimore Ravens but did not make the roster, so he jumped straight into a wrestling career, where he has carved out a highly-lucrative career since. The 28-year-old currently reigns as one half of the World Tag Team Champions on WWE Raw.