Bruno Guimaraes endured sleepless nights as he waited patiently by the phone in Curitiba six-and-a-half years ago. After bossing the Athletico Paranaense midfield, he had his heart set on a life-changing transfer to Atletico Madrid.
A £26million agreement was in the works, so much so that Guimaraes fought back the tears as he waved goodbye to the Furacão faithful following a 1-0 home victory over Santos. Christmas slowly passed, the January window formally opened and still the future felt a tad uncertain.
Atletico were dithering, Benfica had tabled an offer and club president Mario Celso Petraglia confirmed there was a new suitor at the table: it was Arsenal.
Gunners technical director Edu had been monitoring Guimaraes’ explosive development and his contribution towards four trophies including the Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana.
There was a direct approach to his agents but finances were limited and Lyon muscled in, courtesy of Brazilian icon Juninho Pernambucano.
He presented the hungry 22-year-old with a promise: ‘Sign for Lyon and you can become one of the best midfielders in world football’.
Juninho had won titles with Vasco Da Gama prior to joining Lyon and was one of Guimaraes’ heroes, therefore his guidance carried significant weight.
Arsenal’s new £75million addition is an avid Vasco supporter and actually attended one of their matches, a 1-1 draw with Mirassol, as recently as July 26.
A £17.1m deal soon followed and speaking upon signing a long-term contract in France, the Brazil U23 starlet did not hesitate to take aim at Atletico, stating: “Nobody called me.”
The Spaniards, having initially led the charge, soon lived to regret abandoning their pursuit of the player.
Two years later, it was somewhat fitting that Guimaraes’ Newcastle medical would take place in his homeland while he was away on international duty, underlining his growth in stature.
Again, Arsenal had been sniffing around but incredibly, were not able to compete with the Magpies’ financial muscle on the back of signing two midfielders, Martin Odegaard and Albert Sambi Lokonga, the previous summer.
A few months later, they paid a heavy price. Guimaraes netted and starred in Newcastle’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal, who lost their grip on Champions League qualification with just one match to spare.
Since then, he has persistently taken the fight to the Gunners and got under their skin. In fact, he has won more duels against his new employers (71) than he has against any other Premier League side.
For the entirety of his career, Guimaraes has only ever gone where he’s felt wanted. It stems from a series of rejections as a child in Rio de Janeiro.
He loved futsal but failed to make the grade at Fluminense and Botafogo. Father Dick, still heavily involved in his representation, would make the 269-mile drive to Osasco every weekend to watch a fresh-faced Guimaraes play for Audax in Sao Paulo.
It was a sacrifice he was willing to make but there was tough love along the way. If his son had lost, Dick would hand him a ham and cheese sandwich with juice.
If Guimaraes won, he’d be treated to whatever food he craved. He still carries those fond memories with him today, emblazoned across his back.
The No.39, which he is poised to wear for Arsenal, was also the number of his cab-driving dad’s Rio taxi – the same vehicle he drove to Guimaraes’ youth matches in.
Gunners academy starlet Louie Copley, who suffered a serious knee injury in midweek against Real Betis, has been wearing that number in training and matches in recent weeks.
On the club’s website, he’s now listed as Arsenal’s No.38 – paving the way for a certain Brazilian to own the shirt that means so much to him.
After fluffing the chance to land the all-action maestro on two separate occasions, Mikel Arteta was never going to pass up the opportunity to finally sign his long-standing target.
Negotiations rumbled on, the saga became slightly tedious but there was only ever truly one outcome. Third time’s the charm and Guimaraes is a Gunner.
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