‘Affecting games’: Roy Keane wowed by £40m star Arsenal were ‘too slow’ to sign

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Roy Keane has hailed Bruno Guimaraes for ‘affecting games’ at Newcastle United, less than a year after Arsenal missed out on signing the midfielder.

With Eddie Howe’s side sitting in the European places, it’s Guimaraes who has perhaps been Newcastle’s standout performer and Keane hailed his ‘footballing intelligence’, as he told Sky Sports.

Back in January, when Arsenal were chasing Champions League football, Mikel Arteta was keen to add to his injury-hit squad.

From Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang heading for the exit door to Thomas Partey going to the Africa Cup of Nations, the fans felt that players needed to be added during the winter window.

A player of Guimaraes’ ilk was mentioned as a possible arrival, but instead, Arsenal were ‘too slow’ in signing the player and he headed to St James’ Park in a then club-record £40 million transfer.

Fast forward to the present, and Guimaraes is being bigged up by one of the greatest midfielders to have graced English football, as Keane shared what he likes about Newcastle’s new star.

“He is playing with a lot of confidence,” said Keane. “They have had a couple of good weeks Newcastle. A couple of big wins, scoring lots of goals.

“He is doing what you are supposed to be doing in terms of a midfielder. The stats do back it up. It’s still early on in the season. We want to see more of him in the next few months.

“But he seems a good character, the fans have taken to him and he has added a few goals to his game. It looks like he knows what the game is about. He has got footballing intelligence – the really good players affect games and he is affecting games.”

GUIMARAES STANDING TALL

Whilst it’s still early days for this season, it needs to be remembered that Guimaraes was putting in these types of performances last season.

But, given Newcastle’s position, they weren’t exactly in the European places or in the eye-catching spots because Eddie Howe and co. were trying to get them out of the mess left by Steve Bruce and Mike Ashley.

However, now that it’s a clean slate, and Newcastle’s form from January onwards has continued, then performances from Guimaraes are now being highlighted more.

Added to that, with the current year coming to a close, the Brazil World Cup hopeful can more than put forward an argument that he has been one of the standout players of 2022.