The Brazilian became the first Newcastle United captain to lift silverware for the club since Bob Moncur in 1969. It was an agonising wait for a trophy which finally ended at Wembley Stadium thanks to goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak.
Guimaraes has enjoyed a fine season for the Magpies so far, scoring three goals and bagging six assists in the Premier League alone. The Carabao Cup final meant a lot to Guimaraes, referring to it as Newcastle’s ‘World Cup final’ in the build-up to the game.
However, things could have gone a lot differently for the 27-year-old, with reports suggesting he could have left Newcastle last summer. Manchester City wanted Guimaraes who had a release clause of £100m in the early stages of the 2024 summer transfer window. The bids never came in and he stayed on Tyneside.
Guimaraes was named Newcastle captain at the start of the season, succeeding Kieran Trippier who also looked set to leave but ultimately stayed and played a big part in their cup-winning campaign. Guimaraes paid tribute to Trippier and Jamaal Lascelles by lifting the Carabao Cup trophy with them in the stands at Wembley, a big sign of the person he is.
With the Brazilian very happy in his new role, a new report has suggested how Guimaraes really felt about leaving Newcastle.
Bruno Guimaraes looked set to leave Newcastle United in 2024
The 2023/24 season was as memorable as it was unforgiving, Newcastle suffered a slew of injury problems which at one point saw them forced to use academy players like Ben Parkinson in the Premier League.
Toon boss Eddie Howe is known to use young players in his squads, but even that was a push for him.
According to the Athletic, it looked unlikely that Guimaraes would stay at Newcastle after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Man City in March 2024. At that point in the season Newcastle were 10th in the league and were struggling for form.
Things did pick up at the end of the season, however, with the Magpies finishing 7th and only missing out on European football thanks to Manchester United’s FA Cup win.
The report claims that one leading Newcastle figure privately speculated that Guimaraes had already made up his mind over his future – he was leaving.
Fast forward a year and the story could not be any more different. There is still transfer speculation but reports suggest Guimaraes will stay at Newcastle thanks to their cup success, meaning they are guaranteed to play European football next season.
Bruno Guimaraes’ lack of interest amid Newcastle United exit speculation
Newcastle aim to dominate by 2030, the club will ideally want Guimaraes to be the leader for those ambitions.
Guimaraes was visibly emotional when Newcastle won the Carabao Cup – it was clear how much the win meant to him. There is no doubt that he has developed a lot as a leader since being named captain and has put any previous transfer speculation behind him.
In the same report from the Athletic, the feeling within the dressing room was that Guimaraes was bruised by the lack of interest or approaches made for him last summer, not because he wanted to leave Newcastle but because he had been told there would be options.
While there were no clubs in for him, the likes of Anthony Gordon and Isak had concrete interest, with the former in negotiations over a move.
Fans will now consider Guimaraes a legend at the club thanks to his unforgettable commitment.
