7 October 2021. The day it all changed for Newcastle United.
It’s been a wild and winding ride since then, plenty of ups and downs, but the heights the Magpies have reached after the doom of the Mike Ashley era would not be traded for the world.
To be honest, Eddie Howe’s decision to throw in the towel was probably well-calculated. Newcastle were in free-fall after a disastrous 2025/26 campaign, elite outfits lurching like vultures upon St. James’ Park.
Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes. All sold. It’s marked a big dent, especially in midfield.
Why Guimaraes and Tonali will be so hard to replace
Guimaraes’ £75m transfer in August was the final nail in the coffin. Farewell, captain. You were really quite brilliant. They all sting, but this one has left a greater itch.
|
Bruno Guimaraes for Newcastle (Prem) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Apps (starts) |
Goals + Assists |
|
25/26 |
29 (27) |
9 + 5 |
|
24/25 |
38 (38) |
5 + 6 |
|
23/24 |
37 (37) |
7 + 8 |
|
22/23 |
32 (32) |
4 + 5 |
|
21/22 |
17 (11) |
5 + 1 |
Having joined Newcastle from Lyon for about £40m in January 2022, Guimaraes was there from the beginning, steering Howe’s project forward, taking Newcastle away from the relegation zone and up, up, up. His first full season, the Brazilian played an instrumental role in finishing fourth in the Premier League, opening a doorway into the Champions League.
Tonali helped drive the Toon further forward, but the Italian was never on his partner’s same level. However, that’s certainly not to say he wasn’t the real deal on Tyneside, with Paul Scholes even arguing he was “the best midfielder in the Premier League” in 2025.
In combination, they were unstoppable at times. Midway through the 2024/25 campaign, Howe made a tweak. Tonali sat back; Bruno surged forward. It worked an absolute treat and led to Champions League qualification and a marauding run toward the Carabao Cup title.
“The understanding of both Tonali and Guimaraes in their roles was absolutely superb.” Alan Shearer was a big fan of the midfielders’ partnership, so physical and intuitive and aware of their contrasting strengths. It all just came together, with the engine room the thumping beat of that title-winning team.
To have lost both this summer was a devastating blow, but Jaissle is reshaping Newcastle’s midfield, and while there will be hitches over the course of the campaign, Newcastle may have signed a rising star who brings the best of both players to the team.
Newcastle signing is the best of Guimaraes & Tonali
Guimaraes and Tonali aren’t coming back. Their time on Tyneside is over, but that’s not to say Jaissle can’t inspire a new wave of midfielders at Newcastle to bring the club back into the ascendancy.
Nico Gonzalez and Sean Steur look real catches, but less has been said of Aladji Bamba, who has been on the periphery since completing a £34.5m move from AS Monaco this summer.
Hailed as a “ball-winning monster” by Newcastle writer Bradley Robson, Bamba broke onto the stage in Ligue 1 last year, starting ten games. He created four big chances, completed 70% of his dribbles and won 4.6 duels per game.
It was Howe who signed him, but Jaissle has a potential superstar on his hands. Bamba is being eased into Premier League life, but his time will come, with Jaissle stressing that Bamba and fellow newbie Bazoumana Toure both yet to cement starting berths despite their abundant talent.
“These young lads (Toure and Bamba) have just joined the club, and they are adapting to the physicality and the needs of the Premier League. It is something different compared to where they came from.”
Bamba’s time may be around the corner. Content creator TomTalksToon was quick to draw attention to the 20-year-old’s performance for France U21s in a recent 7-1 win over Switzerland. He said, “Bamba was monstrous in duels, forward passing, and started a move that nearly ended in a top France goal, after punching a pass inbetween the lines to [Mathys] Tel.”
Observers are starting to notice the French midfielder, whose physicality, athleticism and technical craft could fire him right the way up to the Les Bleus first team.
He might have the best of both Guimaraes and Tonali at his disposal. There is a certain strength and ruggedness which echoes Tonali’s physicality in the Premier League, and an elegance and penchant for the playmaking side of the game which underscores his likeness with Guimaraes.
Give him time, and Bamba could become a superstar. When he’s given the platform to impress, he is certainly doing so.
