Many an Arsenal supporter went to bed on Monday night dreaming of Dusan Vlahovic latching onto a pin-point Bruno Guimaraes through ball before slamming the most emphatic of finishes into the roof of the net.
Less than 48 hours later – and with a goalless draw at home to bottom-of-the-table Burnley still fresh in the minds – Arsenal appear to have missed out on the most coveted centre-forward in Europe and a playmaker so wondrously gifted he’s been compared to none other than Kevin de Bruyne by the Brazil manager Tite.
Of course, losing Vlahovic to Juventus could be forgiven.
Yes, Arsenal agreed a £68 million fee with Fiorentina for their talismanic number nine as far back as November. But Vlahovic always wanted to stay in Italy. And Juventus, even if they have fallen from their pedestal of late, are still Champions League regulars with silverware in their sights.
Losing Bruno Guimaraes to Newcastle United, however, is another matter entirely.
Will Arsenal sign a midfielder?
Earlier this month, reports emerged claiming that Arsenal were looking to finally tie up a deal for their long-time transfer target.
And not a moment too soon.
The absences of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey have laid bare the lack of top-quality midfield depth at Mikel Arteta’s disposal, with Arsenal exiting both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup in the blink of an eye, all the while stumbling in a stacked Champions League race.
According to Sky Sports, Guimaraes will be a Premier League player by February 1.
But it’s Newcastle, rather than Arsenal, who have stumped up the £30 million fee required to take the brilliant Brazilian international away from Olympique Lyonnais.
Why are Arsenal not signing Lyon star Bruno Guimaraes?
Yes, Newcastle are the richest club in England, bankrolled by Saudi Arabian billionaires. But they are not Juventus. They are 18th in the table, three points off the bottom, fearing the Championship rather than dreaming of the Champions League.
Surely Arsenal could have found £30 million in their budget for a potentially world-leading central midfielder.
Guimaraes will earn £180,000-a-week at St James’ Park, according to L’Equipe. That, by the way, would only make him Arsenal’s fourth best-paid player (Spotrac).
The Gunners can perhaps be forgiven for missing out on Vlahovic. With Guimaraes, however, the excuses are wearing thin.
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