According to The Guardian, the midfielder stayed behind when Newcastle flew to Murcia on Friday. He was reportedly in Brazil as Arsenal interest intensifies. Newcastle simultaneously navigated Eddie Howe's exit and Matthias Jaissle's arrival, with the new manager expected to join the squad in La Manga this weekend.
Newcastle is sacking a manager, selling a star midfielder, and stabilizing a dressing room all at once. When a club looks fractured in public, every rival tests the price, the timeline, and the club's resolve.
Whether Bruno Guimarães joins the squad this week will signal Newcastle's control. Delays favor Arsenal.
Star absences during transfer windows are routine. Doing it during a manager handover is a blunder. Newcastle can survive losing a coach or selling a player. Trying to manage both in public at once tells every other club in Europe that Newcastle's nerve is fraying. The dressing room notices. So does the market.
Filed to the World desk · Jul 31