News that Arsenal had seen an offer worth under £60million ($79.3m) for Bruno Guimaraes rejected by Newcastle United provoked all manner of reactions.On Tyneside, there was an insistence that the Brazil international is not for sale, not least with talks over a deal for team-mate and fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali having opened with Tottenham Hotspur last week. Even in London, though, some associated with Arsenal are hardly enamoured at the interest, given the 28-year-old’s status as a pantomime villain in the new English champions’ eyes since his early days in the Premier League.When his transfer from Lyon to Newcastle was made official in January 2022, Arsenal were the first club mentioned in his announcement video as his new club poked fun at previous links with teams in England. The midfielder has since made a habit of frustrating Mikel Arteta’s side: scoring in his first appearance against them to all but end their Champions League qualification hopes that first year, going unpunished for striking Jorginho with his arm in 2023, and ultimately proving a key performer in Eddie Howe’s side whenever they confronted Arsenal.Others feel his current World Cup campaign is showing everyone why those in the north-east rate him so highly. He has been a creative spark for Brazil, providing three assists in their three group matches, but has also been combative, displaying the all-round qualities that have made him so important for Newcastle.Bruno Guimaraes is playing a key role for Brazil at the World Cup (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)There is a school of thought that Arsenal already have enough midfield options, but their interest in Guimaraes, Alex Scott of Bournemouth and previously Tonali shows that manager Arteta feels differently.With Guimaraes, who has two years left on his current contract, it is important to note that he was on Arsenal’s radar before he even signed for Lyon in January 2020 at the age of 22. Previously at Athletico Paranaense in his homeland, their then head coach Tiago Nunes told The Athletic in 2023 about a phone conversation with Edu Gasper, Arsenal’s sporting director at the time, during that winter transfer window.“He (Edu) just wanted to get my view about (Guimaraes’) characteristics, and see whether I thought he would be a good fit for Arsenal,” he said. “Their philosophy was changing with Mikel Arteta’s arrival (the previous month) and they wanted players who could keep possession and interpret space — the exact things that Bruno does perfectly.“I told him, ‘Sign him up, because he’s got huge potential’. But I don’t know whether Arsenal made an offer in the end.”Six years on, that spatial awareness and ability to keep possession are still integral to Guimaraes’ playing style, and have been critical to his three assists at this World Cup.