Bruno Guimaraes suggests Arsenal wanted to sign him this summer

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Arsenal fans will probably be cursing Granit Xhaka after Saturday’s defeat at Manchester City, and may wish Bruno Guimaraes had come in.

With the Gunners already behind the eight ball at the Etihad Stadium, Xhaka went flying into a rash challenge and picked up a straight red card.

That’s not what you want from your skipper when the chips are down, and Arsenal were on the end of a 5-0 thumping in the end.

How did it get to this? Xhaka looked set for Roma this summer, and yet ended up with a shiny new four-year contract to stay at Arsenal.

Arteta’s four options in central midfield now appear to be Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny with no other additions coming in.

One player recently linked with Arsenal is Bruno Guimaraes, who could have provided more quality in the middle of the park having impressed with Lyon.

Lance in Brazil noted that Guimaraes – compared to Kevin De Bruyne by Tite – was a key target for Edu, having wanted him as Xhaka’s replacement in 2019.

With Xhaka staying put, Arsenal didn’t end up pursuing a deal for Guimaraes, who has now commented on the Gunners’ interest in him.

Speaking to Globo Esporte, Guimaraes has admitted that Arsenal did make enquiries for his signature this summer, but with no official bid actually made.

Guimaraes added that he wants to win a league title with Lyon, but does want to play in the Premier League one day – maybe something for Edu to keep in mind if he ends up pursuing a new midfielder.

“There were enquiries with my manager. But nothing official, they asked… well, there was no official proposal,” said Guimaraes. “My goal, and I made it clear to Juninho, is to win a title here. Lyon fans are lacking in titles, they haven’t won something for a long time. We have the Cup, the Europa League, the French Championship, which is very difficult due to Paris’ level, but it’s a championship, anything can happen.”

“My goal is to achieve something, make a name for myself at Lyon, but I have never hidden that I have a strong desire to play in the Premier League,” he added.