Arsenal latest: Bruno Guimaraes transfer failure and Erling Haaland gives Gunners judgement
Details concerning Bruno Guimaraes' move to Arsenal from Newcastle have come to light(Image: Molly Darlington, Getty Images)
Arsenal are shaping up as one of the teams to beat in the Premier League title race as the new season rages on. The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for the title last term but are now aiming to go back-to-back for the first time in almost a century.
Manchester City, despite the seismic change of Enzo Maresca replacing Pep Guardiola, look set to push Arsenal all the way once more. And the new City boss has made an ideal start, winning all three of his opening league fixtures.
Erling Haaland was on target in a 1-0 win over Coventry City on Saturday and has since had his say on how Arsenal compare to his side heading into the new campaign. football.london covers that and more in this week's round-up of the biggest Arsenal news.
Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson has admitted that offloading Guimaraes to Arsenal was never part of the club's summer agenda. The acknowledgement underlines just how determined Guimaraes was to join the Gunners after two seasons wearing the armband at St James' Park.
Since his £40million arrival from Lyon in 2022, Guimaraes had earned something of a cult status in the north-east. It appeared Newcastle would stand firm over their captain following Sandro Tonali's £100m move to Tottenham, yet they ultimately relented and sanctioned a £75m sale to Arsenal.
Wilson spoke to TNT Sports before Saturday's draw against Bournemouth and said: "Anthony Gordon was always in the plan that he was going to move on. We were delighted for him to get such a prestigious move to Barcelona, that was great.
"I think it was pretty clear most of the second part of last season that Sandro Tonali was going to move on. And for Bruno Guimaraes, I think it's well documented that wasn't a transfer that we were really comfortable with.
"So there's no point in us saying here today that it was or wasn't. I thought it was something we had to react to, that was the question, because football is all about reacting to different challenges, and that was a new challenge for us, but one hopefully we reacted to as part of our plan."
Reports suggest the ambiguity surrounding Guimaraes' future played a significant part in Eddie Howe's choice to resign as Newcastle manager. As for Guimaraes himself, the Brazilian has slotted seamlessly into Arteta's system and appears set to play a pivotal role in Arsenal's bid to claim successive Premier League titles.
Erling Haaland has conceded Man City are in a very different place to Arsenal starting out this term(Image: Getty Images)
Following his goal that maintained City's title pursuit, Haaland has discussed where Arsenal rank alongside his team this season. The Sky Blues have achieved a perfect three from three despite some uncertainty under Maresca thus far this campaign.
Not only has Guardiola departed but City are navigating a transformed squad following substantial alterations in the summer. Arsenal, by contrast, have remained largely consistent and implemented several enhancements to the side while preserving the nucleus of last term's championship-winning group.
Discussing the contrast between Arsenal and City at present, Haaland has suggested the two clubs find themselves in markedly different circumstances following the transfer window. The Norwegian is, however, extremely satisfied with City's recruitment this summer amid a period of significant transition.
He told Viaplay ahead of Saturday's victory: "Arsenal have played together for a long time and have built this up over a longer period, a bit like City had when I first joined.
"We're still in a kind of rebuilding phase, but the transfer window has been fantastic, I have to say. Well done to the club and the people at the club.
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"First and foremost, they've brought in fantastic footballers, but also great people who fit in really well. So well done to the whole club, and especially Khaldoon [Al Mubarak]."
The exits of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones will prove particularly significant for City's ambitions. Yet the arrivals of Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson, Iliman Ndiaye and Ayyoub Bouaddi offer considerable potential to the midfield department especially.
Arsenal, by contrast, secured Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis to instantly strengthen their first-team options. Mikel Arteta's squad remains largely unchanged beyond that, with the manager trusting that stability will deliver rewards in the long term.
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