Based on who they were interested in throughout the 2025/26 Premier League season, it looked like Arsenal's No. 1 transfer target in midfield to pair with Ballon d'Or candidate Declan Rice was Sandro Tonali. But Tottenham Hotspur quickly snapped him up this summer, as Roberto De Zerbi demanded him specifically and made sure Spurs were willing to spend 100 million pounds on the fellow Brescia native.
It didn't take long for Arsenal to zero in on his Newcastle teammate Bruno Guimaraes, and while the Magpies were under no real pressure to sell another crucial midfielder, they caved when Arsenal submitted a 90 million euro transfer offer of their own for the Brazilian international.
It makes sense for Bruno G. to be a bit cheaper than Tonali, as the latter is two years younger and is a former Serie A champion with more upside in the right scheme that emphasizes attacking football more than Eddie Howe did.
Mateus Fernandes was a good deal for Spurs
But for Tottenham Hotspur, the real win in the transfer comparison comes not with putting the two former Newcastle teammates side by side but by comparing Bruno Guimaraes with Mateus Fernandes, whom Spurs spent 85 million pounds - or about 98 million euros - on.
While Fernandes is eight million euros more expensive than Bruno, he is also a 22 year old defensive midfielder who is seven years younger than the Brazilian with way more upside and had just as good of a 2025/26 Premier League season on a much, much worse team in relegated West Ham United.
It is funny how people have poked fun at Tottenham for overspending on Fernandes, targeting him more than Sandro Tonali for criticism since he comes from West Ham and isn't a "name" who won a title before, yet they don't realize that in this market, a 22 year old midfielder with strong interest from Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho who played as well as he did last season is worth a ton.
Last season, Fernandes had 1.3 more combined tackles and interceptions per game than Guimaraes, and he also averaged more dribbles completed while being dispossessed fewer times. Bruno had more key passes, fouls drawn, and goal contributions, but he also had a pass completion percentage more than a full percentage point lower than the younger Fernandes.
While Bruno was better offensively and creatively, Fernandes was better defensively and as a passer. Both players were pretty similar in efficacy when comparing their team situations and are priced similarly, yet Fernandes is way younger. Tottenham actually got a great deal out of Fernandes, contrary to what Arsenal and Manchester United fans will say, and the final price for Guimaraes seals it.
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