Bruno Guimaraes says his move to Arsenal was a step he “really wanted to take”, and believes his first weeks at the club have gone well.
The midfielder left Newcastle United for Arsenal this summer, swapping a club where he was completely settled for another big challenge in England.
He’s happy with that decision so far. Guimaraes admits changing his routine after so long at Newcastle requires some adjustment, but sounds excited about what comes next.
And while he already has two Brazilian clubs in mind for later in his career, that’s clearly a long way down the road.
“I really wanted to take this step”
Speaking during a Brazil national team press conference this morning, Guimaraes was asked about his start at Arsenal and the change from Newcastle.
“I’m starting my journey at Arsenal, already starting well, starting on the right foot,” he said.
“It’s a new responsibility. I really wanted to take this step. And now it’s about focusing, because leaving a routine I was already used to and starting another one requires a little time, a little adaptation.”
“But I think I’m doing well. I’m very happy and excited about the new challenges.”
There’s also no suggestion Guimaraes is already thinking about the end of his European career. Asked about eventually returning to Brazil, he named Vasco da Gama and Athletico Paranaense as the two clubs he would like to represent.
“I want to return to Brazil and play for Vasco or Athletico-PR. They’re clubs I have a lot of gratitude for, but I’m not thinking about that now, to be honest. I’ve only just arrived at Arsenal.”
World Cup pain hasn’t completely gone
While things are going well at club level, Guimaraes is still carrying something from the summer. Naturally, the penalty he missed against Norway at the World Cup came up.
“It’s a really bad feeling. Missing a penalty is part of football, but you’re never ready for it to happen,” Guimaraes said.
“Obviously, it’s a wound, it’s a scar. It’s still very recent, it still hurts me, it still hurts a lot that it happened. But it’s part of football. Hopefully I can learn from my mistakes, which is the most important thing.”
There had been some criticism of Arsenal target Vinicius Junior after Brazil’s elimination. Questions were raised over why he hadn’t taken the penalty instead. Guimaraes wants to put that one to bed.
“Before every game we have our meeting and the manager decides who’s going to take it. I was the man chosen to take it.”
“At the time, some players wanted to hold the ball. One player takes it, passes it to another, even to try to fool the goalkeeper. That’s what happened, nothing more.”
“Vini wasn’t [the taker]. I was the one who had to take the penalty.”
He’d take another one tomorrow
Guimaraes isn’t planning to hide from that responsibility either.
“If there was another penalty and it was given to me, I wouldn’t hide,” he said.
“I’d take it again a thousand times if I had to, because representing this shirt means everything to me. It’s always been the biggest dream of my life.”
The Arsenal midfielder admits he “suffered a lot” after the miss, but knows there’s little point living with it forever.
“You can’t change the past, only the future.”
That future now includes a new start at Arsenal. Guimaraes wanted the move, accepts it’ll take some time to fully adjust, and sounds pretty pleased with how it’s going so far.
