‘I think I will be Magpies captain next season’
BRUNO Guimaraes is convinced he will be handed the Newcastle United captain’s armband at some stage next season - and it is hard to argue with the Brazilian’s bold statement.
Guimaraes’ future is set to dominate the summer, despite the fact the player has confirmed he is happy to stay at St James’ Park beyond the upcoming window. The 26-year-old has a £100m release clause in his current contract but with less than a month for any interested suitor to activate it, Newcastle are in a strong position to keep their star midfield man.
The former Lyon man is yet to captain the side but is already viewed as a dressing room leader in Eddie Howe’s setup, meaning it would therefore be no great surprise to see the armband placed on him in the coming months.
Zooming out and looking at the bigger picture, there is an argument to suggest should Guimaraes decide to stay put long into the future, he may not have to wait very long to be in contention to permanently hold the title of club captain.
Current skipper Jamaal Lascelles is recovering from a nasty anterior cruciate ligament injury that is poised to keep him sidelined until the business end of the year. Even when the centre-back is fully fit, he finds himself down the pecking order and subsequently handing the armband to vice-captain Kieran Trippier.
His future has been up in the air in recent windows due to interest, mainly from Turkish side Besiktas.
Trippier has been a worthy stand-in in recent seasons, showing his immense leadership both on and off the pitch. However, doubts have emerged as to whether he too will be staying at Newcastle for much longer.
The 33-year-old attracted serious interest from Bayern Munich in January, while this summer has started with speculation over interest from Saudi Arabian sides. Trippier subsequently may have a decision to make over taking one last payday before he hangs up his boots.
“Look, that’s how I see myself. Throughout the Olympics, I was captain at the Pre-Olympics, I was captain at Atletico Paranense, I was captain at Lyon in a few games, at Newcastle, I think something will happen next season too,” Guimaraes told TNT Sports Brazil this week.
“So I feel good, I like to talk, I like to communicate, I don’t worry, being quite serious, I don’t worry about being or not being captain, obviously, whether I am or not, I’ll be there, I’ll be talking, I’ll want to help the team. That’s how I learnt from the older players when I came, from the advice of the older players, so I want to be able to help the younger players.”