Newcastle are set to bank millions of dollars this summer as manager Bruno Guimarães looks to move from St James’ Park, a development that will worry supporters.
Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães at Newcastle United (Image: Getty Images)
Midfielders Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães and attacker Anthony Gordon played key roles in Newcastle United’s mediocre Premier League 2025-26 season. Or, if you prefer, a non-critical role is also possible.
During that time, the trio made 90 appearances in the Premier League. During that time, they scored 15 goals in the Premier League, contributed 10 assists in the league, and earned 13 yellow cards and one red card.
But if Newcastle hold out for £75m before taking the inevitable action and selling Guimarães to Arsenal, they will have banked £250m for three players who were responsible for the team’s poor performance last season.
The transfer market and the money involved went crazy a long time ago. Don’t forget that Newcastle raised £125m for striker Alexander Isak at the end of last summer. Unfortunately, he was limited to 14 Premier League appearances for his new club, scoring three goals and providing one assist.
Even if you discount the madness of the Premier League market, Newcastle still command the highest turnover. And their hand has been forced to some degree by gaming financial regulation, both domestically and in Europe.
Even if the Saudi owners wanted to spend money lavishly and keep all their valuable assets, it was not possible. That much is clear. But it is also indisputable that Newcastle’s hand was forced by leading players who wanted to leave the club.
After moving to Spurs and doubling his wages to nearly £300,000-a-week, Tonali wrote a touching farewell to Newcastle fans. At least he said it was emotional. He was only there for three years, but spent 10 months of those enforcing a ban on football betting.
The Italian was popular, but it’s hard to imagine too many supporters drying their eyes. Tonali certainly won’t be a Hall of Fame player at St James’ Park. At least Tonali’s departure wasn’t as protracted and acrimonious as Isak’s departure in 2025, when the Swedish players went on strike.
Gordon’s move to Barcelona was a surprise, but it seems to have been a good thing for everyone involved. It’s certainly good for Newcastle and the players. Whether that will be a good result for Barcelona is another question.
Anthony Gordon joins Barcelona from Newcastle (Image: Getty Images)
But Arsenal’s move to sign Guimarães, whose missed penalty in Brazil’s World Cup finals defeat to Norway was costly, is likely to provoke further criticism. Not on Isak’s scale, but clearly not welcome. However, reports suggest Guimarães has informed Newcastle of his intention to leave, and we all know how things will turn out.
Newcastle rejected several opening offers for the 28-year-old, but accepted a third or fourth. In this case it would probably be around £75m.
And while Guimarães is undoubtedly a favorite of Newcastle fans, and as hard-working a midfielder as you’ll probably find, those supporters are proud enough to tell dissatisfied players to pack their bags.
Those same supporters may also take comfort in the way Newcastle are reinvesting money into young players and people who can inspire early-career talent.
Alexander Isak had an uninspiring first season at Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)
Sean Stuer, the 18-year-old midfielder who joined from Ajax, is regarded as a generational talent in the Netherlands and it would be something of a coup d’état if Newcastle could complete a £50m deal for Freiburg’s Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi.
But this is almost certainly not how Newcastle fans saw things unfolding as the club enters five years of Saudi rule.
And it’s certainly not what they imagined when new chief executive David Hopkinson, who took over last December, said: “By 2030, this club will be in the conversation of being the top club in the world… and winning the Premier League is a realistic short-term objective for the club.”
No, it’s not. And under this current system, we don’t know what will happen in the future.
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