The future of Guimaraes has been hotly contested this summer due to a provision in his contract that states Newcastle would not have been allowed to keep him if a competing proposal of £100 million had been made before the end of June.
Even though that clause has now expired, there is still a lot of discussion about the Brazilian’s status, with Manchester City and Arsenal frequently mentioned as potential suitors.
After being granted a prolonged break following his participation for Brazil in the Copa America, Guimaraes returned to Newcastle’s first team last week. He made his debut in the preseason yesterday, leading the Magpies in the first half of their 2-0 loss to Yokohama F. Marinos.
Following the match, the midfield player used social media to declare his unwavering commitment to Newcastle and to try and quell speculation about his future.
“I’m very happy to be starting another season with this club that has done so much for me since my first day here,” Guimaraes stated in his writing. I’m happy to be back and better than ever ready to lead Newcastle to the top spot and have an incredible season!
“Yet another dream is realized! This team’s captaincy is all I’ve ever wanted but could never have imagined! We’re all in this together, and I promise to devote myself to this badge more than before.
Despite outside interest in both Guimaraes and star striker Alexander Isak, the St James’ Park leadership is keen to hang onto both players, and Guimaraes will continue to be a key component of Newcastle’s plans for the upcoming campaign.
The Magpies are not under pressure to lose anyone else this summer, despite having to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh earlier this summer in order to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability standards.
Eddie Howe responded, “I never gave thought to his (Guimaraes’) release clause,” when questioned about the matter last week. “I don’t believe he thought about it either, but it was definitely there, and I’m so happy that it passed without anything occurring.
Now that he is at Newcastle, we can concentrate on him playing another season as he did the previous one. He plays such a significant role in our team. He has been a driving force behind our team for the past two years.
Yesterday’s friendly not only saw Guimaraes return to play following his summer international service, but it also saw summer recruit Lloyd Kelly make his Newcastle jersey debut.
Howe was pleased with the defender’s performance in the intense heat of Tokyo during the first half of play. The defender, who signed as a free agent after leaving Bournemouth, partnered Fabian Schar at center-back.
“I felt he (Kelly) did well,” stated Howe, whose team plays Girona and Brest as part of the Sela Weekender next weekend to wrap up their preseason practices. “It was a composed performance.” I felt happy for him.
“I found some aspects of the game pleasing.” While certain players performed really well, I felt that as a team we were not as good as we had been.
Although Howe maintains it was always his intention to replace the Swedish striker at that point, Alexander Isak suffered an uncomfortable fall on his shoulder during the first half of the match and was substituted at halftime. After he returns to Tyneside, Isak’s shoulder will be evaluated, but the early indications are encouraging.
Howe stated, “That (the substitution) was planned for him.” Naturally, he was hit in the shoulder early in the match. Even though it hurt, he was OK to continue. Although we don’t anticipate any issues, we must, of course, examine the mechanism and his shoulder. However, I believe he looks fine.
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