According to Sky Sports, Arsenal are pursuing Newcastle player Bruno Guimaraes, who is expected to enhance the flexibility of Arsenal's midfield.

Reports suggest that Arsenal are still negotiating the deal with Newcastle. If Guimaraes joins, he will form part of a midfield group with Rice, Zubimendi, Ødegaard, Merino, and Lewis-Skelly. So where would he play, and how could he be used?

Guimaraes can play both as a deep-lying midfielder and in a more advanced No. 8 role. He explained his preference for the latter in an interview with Sky Sports in October 2022, when Eddie Howe was playing him as a No. 6.

"Honestly, if you ask me, I'd say I prefer playing as a No. 8, but I feel like playing as a No. 6 here is what the team needs," Guimaraes said. "I need to get the ball out, pass it well, and find the wingers and strikers."

"I can play both positions, but ultimately it's up to Eddie to decide. For me, the most important thing is to play and help Newcastle get three points. I think my best position is No. 8, but I can also play No. 6, and that's fine by me."

After Tonali took over the No. 6 role, Guimaraes eventually returned to his preferred position. However, his versatility and his team-first attitude would undoubtedly appeal to Arteta, who likes players who can adapt to different roles.

Guimaraes's versatility is very evident from his playing time in different positions in the Premier League.

The chart above shows that he spent most of his time at Newcastle playing in a deeper midfield role, but he can also excel as a right or left No. 8, further demonstrating the positional flexibility he could bring to Arsenal.

Even starting as a No. 6 for Newcastle, Guimaraes was given attacking responsibilities. In 2022, he told Sky Sports: "The way we play, with Dan Burn at left-back, he can stay in the middle, and I can push forward and be another player to help in attack."

Despite primarily playing as a No. 6, Guimaraes still scored 4 goals and provided 5 assists for Newcastle in the Premier League that season. The following season, he was even more productive in the same position, contributing 7 goals and 8 assists.

Including all competitions, the Brazilian international has made 195 appearances for Newcastle, contributing 31 goals and 32 assists, which sufficiently demonstrates his strong attacking threat.

Arsenal has many capable full-backs who can tuck in and create space for him to push forward. Another way to maximize Guimaraes's attacking ability is to pair him with a teammate in a double pivot.

Rice might be the most suitable partner.

The player spent most of last season playing as Arsenal's left No. 8, with Martin Zubimendi as the No. 6. However, in the closing stages of the season, he dropped deeper into midfield, partnering Lewis-Skelly in a double pivot. Lewis-Skelly performed excellently after switching to midfield at the end of the season.

Rice worked well with the young player. Like Guimaraes, he has enough box-to-box ability as a B2B midfielder, along with strong tactical awareness and positional discipline.

Even before being reinstated in a double pivot last season, Rice often covered for Zubimendi. The latter scored 5 Premier League goals from Arsenal's No. 6 position.

If Guimaraes and Rice form a double pivot, Arteta could deploy either Ødegaard or Eze as a pure No. 10. If Rice is absent, or simply needs a rest, he could even play both as No. 8s, with Guimaraes positioned ahead of the No. 6.

If Arteta wants to do the opposite and prioritize physicality over technical creativity, he could withdraw an orchestrator, keep Zubimendi deeper, and push Guimaraes further forward to play the right-sided No. 8 role he frequently occupied for Newcastle over the past two seasons.

A midfield trio of Guimaraes, Zubimendi, and Rice might not seem the most attack-minded, but they would certainly help Arsenal win most physical battles in midfield. It's also worth noting that Guimaraes, as a passer, actually has similarities to Ødegaard.

Last season, Guimaraes's through balls per 90 minutes were almost identical to the Arsenal captain's, averaging 8.6, significantly higher than Rice and Zubimendi. His proportion of forward passes was also close to Ødegaard's, and his accuracy of forward passes was actually higher.

These statistics suggest he possesses the ability to break down opposing defenses, which could partly compensate for Ødegaard's absence and bring a new source of creativity to Arsenal's midfield.

Guimaraes's arrival would undoubtedly spark discussion about Arsenal's other midfield options, but it's not hard to see why Arsenal are pursuing this player.

Last season, Arsenal's midfield playing time was overly concentrated on Rice and Zubimendi, both of whom played over 4000 minutes; a suitable reduction in workload would benefit them.

Arsenal's over-reliance on Rice and Zubimendi was partly due to injuries. Ødegaard and Merino both had long absences, and Havertz, who can also play in midfield, was also sidelined for a long time. However, this also reflects Arteta's lack of trust in other options, such as Kristian Nørgaard, who is expected to join Everton.

After Nørgaard leaves, Arsenal's squad will have a spot for Guimaraes, but the team may still need to trim down further. Nwaneri and Fabio Vieira returned from Marseille and Hamburg, respectively, last season.

Lewis-Skelly might be pushed down a tier in the pecking order, as he had already replaced Zubimendi as a midfield starter by the end of last season. However, Arsenal played 63 games last season and will still be competing on multiple fronts next season.

In this scenario, rotation needs and the potential impact of injuries and suspensions will still create opportunities for Lewis-Skelly in midfield. But the reality is that Newcastle values Guimaraes at £80 million, and he would not merely play a supporting role if he joins Arsenal.

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