Bruno Guimaraes is moving nearer to completing a move to Arsenal. Manager Mikel Arteta made clear in the immediate aftermath of Arsenal's Premier League title win that the Gunners would need to be ambitious if they were to build on their success - and the club have backed him with the move to sign Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes.

Arsenal won the league for the first time in 22 years last season and reached the Champions League final where they were beaten by Paris St-Germain. But as soon as the curtain came down on that campaign and the parade to celebrate their new silverware had finished, Arteta's thoughts moved to taking Arsenal to a "different dimension". And with Brazil's Guimaraes part of a new-look Arsenal midfield, the club believe they are signing a player who will do exactly that.

Arteta has always been keen on signing players who have Premier League experience and have shown they can operate with the demands at the highest level. And with the addition of the 28-year-old Brazilian, the club's aim of creating one of the best midfields in world football is a step closer.

There are a number of reasons why Guimaraes has been the player that Arteta has decided is the one who can ensure that his side are ready to fight on multiple fronts. The Gunners were plagued with injuries last season and, despite a £250m spend in the last summer transfer window, a player's robustness has always been considered when making signings. Arsenal played 63 games in all competitions last season and have revamped their medical department before the new campaign.

Christian Norgaard, who is set to move to Everton, was brought in last summer but was not trusted by Arteta and was limited to just seven appearances and one start in the Premier League last season. That put a lot of demand on Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, with the former dropping out of the side completely as the amount of work he was asked to do took its toll during the end of the season run-in.

Rice is coming back from a World Cup campaign where he helped England reach the semi-final after a season in which he played the most minutes of any outfield player at Arsenal. Rice has been carrying a hamstring issue but rest is expected to have helped to ease the problem, with Guimaraes' addition ensuring that not only is there not a dip in quality if he is starting, but that he raises the ceiling of the midfield too.

Arteta is known for demanding intensity in training and with Guimaraes joining a midfield stocked with Rice, Zubimendi, captain Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Ethan Nwaneri, there is not going to be a shortage of competition.

Arsenal have a leadership group that supports club captain Odegaard but, with the addition of Guimaraes, they will be bringing in a player who is a natural leader. The Newcastle captain became a talisman during his time at St James' Park and, as Arteta looks to maximise every marginal gain he can, Guimaraes' ability and his way of connecting with supporters will be another weapon he can utilise.

Arsenal have had campaigns seriously impacted by injury but Guimaraes has missed just 16 Premier League games since he signed for Newcastle in 2022. And the impact without the midfielder in the side is backed up by Newcastle's win percentage (12.5%), points per game (0.7), average goals for (0.8) and even average goals against (1.6) all suffering in the top flight when he is not available.

Although it is an admittedly larger sample size, Opta data shows that Newcastle's win percentage (50.7%), points per game (1.7), average goals for (1.9) and average goals against (1.3) have been significantly higher when Guimaraes has featured. Guimaraes was Newcastle's top scorer in the league last season with nine goals and he provided four assists for Brazil at the World Cup in his five starts. And, despite missing six games with a hamstring injury towards the end of last season for Newcastle, Guimaraes still ranked in the top five players across the league for defensive line-breaking passes (46) and through balls (21).

He also led the way at Newcastle for passes under high intensity pressure (998), which illustrates how he relishes responsibility. Staff at Newcastle have called him an "inspirational" figure and Arsenal and Arteta will be hoping that he can produce the same feeling at the Emirates Stadium.