Alan Shearer has declared that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta now possesses arguably the best midfield in world football following the club's £75 million agreement to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United. The former England striker and Newcastle legend believes the Brazilian international will significantly bolster a unit already containing Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Arsenal are set to officially announce Guimaraes as their third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of winger Christos Tzolis and back-up goalkeeper Illan Meslier. The 28-year-old has agreed to join the Premier League champions after five productive seasons at St James' Park, where he helped Newcastle qualify for the Champions League and win the Carabao Cup.
Shearer's verdict: 'No doubt he'll improve them'
Speaking exclusively to Betfair, Shearer offered high praise for the transfer: 'Arsenal are signing a top-quality player in Bruno Guimaraes. There's no doubt about that. They're signing a player who's so comfortable on the ball under pressure, who can make that killer pass. He's got a great attitude, too, we've seen that at Newcastle.'
Shearer added: 'So, there's no doubt he'll improve them. I think with the likes of Rice, Odegaard and Bruno, there won't be many better midfields out there.'
The 55-year-old pundit, who scored 206 goals for Newcastle, also expressed his personal disappointment as a fan but acknowledged the logic behind Guimaraes's decision to leave.
Why Guimaraes left Newcastle
Guimaraes was keen to depart after Newcastle's disappointing 2025-26 campaign, which saw them miss out on European qualification. The midfielder was also influenced by the departures of key figures, including manager Eddie Howe, and star players Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Sandro Tonali.
Shearer explained: 'From a professional point of view and from someone who works in football and knows how the game is, I totally get it, I understand it. He's 29 in a couple of months and he's gone to the champions. He's seen his manager leave. He's seen Isak leave. He's seen Gordon leave. He's seen Tonali leave. It's a very different football club to the one that was 12 months ago, 18 months ago.'
Despite his sadness, Shearer praised the midfielder's professionalism: 'Every time he put on a black and white shirt, you could never complain about his attitude. You could never complain about his professionalism. But with my professional head on, I understand why he wants to move to the champions.'
Arteta's midfield rebuild
Arteta identified Guimaraes as his top midfield target earlier in the summer as he looks to retain the Premier League title. The Gunners begin their title defence on August 21 with a home match against newly-promoted Coventry City.
Guimaraes will add depth and creativity to an Arsenal side that finished top of the table last season. His ability to play under pressure and deliver killer passes aligns perfectly with Arteta's tactical demands.
With the new signing, Arsenal's midfield options now include Rice, Odegaard, Merino, Zubimendi, Eze, and Lewis-Skelly, giving Arteta an embarrassment of riches as they compete on multiple fronts, including the Champions League.
Shearer concluded: 'I think from my point of view there's two ways of looking at it... I'm disappointed because I've seen him produce magical moments. I've seen how brilliant he is, I've seen how he can make a difference to the team. But overall, my point is always the same is that if someone wants to leave then let them go and he hasn't done it in the wrong way, I guess he's done it all the right way.'
