BRUNO Guimaraes says he lost "many nights of sleep" as he agonised over his Newcastle United exit and has revealed his teammates were in tears when he told them he was leaving for Arsenal.
The Brazilian looks back on his time on Tyneside with immense pride and says it was incredibly difficult to leave the club because of the love he felt for the fans.
Bruno's four-and-a-half year stay at St James' Park came to an end in the summer when he left for Arsenal in a £75m deal.
And Newcastle's former captain has now opened up on the anguish he felt in leaving a club he loved.
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“It was very tough for me to make this decision because I really enjoyed my time at the club, the affection I had for the fans,” said Guimaraes, who helped Newcastle win the Carabao Cup in 2025 and twice led them to a place in the Champions League.
“I lost many, many nights of sleep because it was difficult for me, for my family.
“I never felt so loved like the way I was at Newcastle. I hope I can have the same love here at Arsenal, the connection I had was unbelievable.
“When I said bye to the lads, I was crying. They were crying as well, because we were a family there.
“I think I did great for Newcastle. We won a trophy after 70 years. We got into the Champions League twice. We got to two (Carabao Cup) finals. I think I did what I could for the club.
“But sometimes in your life you have to make decisions and in my mind I needed a new challenge.
“I love to face a new challenge and for me to come here, to get a new challenge in my life, was something that I wanted.”
Guimaraes has featured in five of Arsenal’s seven league games this season, scoring twice - with one of his goals coming at the Stadium of Light in a win over Sunderland.
The 28-year-old came within inches of opening his Champions League account for the Gunners against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night but was denied by a “miracle” save from goalkeeper Manuel Neuer early in the second half.
Neuer, 40, somehow clawed Guimaraes’ close-range header on to the woodwork, drawing comparisons with Gordon Banks’ famous save from Pele at the 1970 World Cup.
“It was an unbelievable save,” said Guimaraes. “I was already celebrating and then he pulled off a miracle.
“I asked him after the game, ‘How did you manage to save that?’. He said, ‘I don’t know. I just saved it’.
“He is an unbelievable keeper, for me one of the best keepers in the world. No matter how old he is, he is top.”
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