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Arsenal’s pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes has suddenly become much more difficult.

Any hopes Arsenal had of signing Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes have suffered a significant setback.

Newcastle are dealing with the shock resignation of manager Eddie Howe, with German coach Matthias Jaissle expected to take over from the 48-year-old after five years in charge.

With Arsenal moving closer to a deal for Guimaraes, Howe’s departure looks to have complicated matters considerably, particularly in light of remarks made by the former Newcastle manager.

On Tuesday, Newcastle were thrashed 4-1 by Championship club Bristol City in a pre-season friendly at Ashton Gate, and after the defeat Howe was asked whether he had received assurances that his star player would remain at St James’ Park.

“We’ve spoken numerous times,” he said. “Assurances? I don’t think you can push too hard for those.

“I’ve said many times we want players who are committed, and Bruno has always been committed. His training performances and his game performances have been outstanding. Every time he’s worn the shirt, he’s played with the fans by his side.

“I’d love to see that continue.”

Arsenal’s talks with Newcastle — being handled through intermediary Kia Joorabchian — are understood to be moving slowly, but Guimaraes has no intention of causing disruption in the way Alexander Isak did last season after interest from Liverpool.

Howe’s comments about the Brazilian’s commitment to the club appear accurate, and given his sudden resignation — along with the departures of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon — there is every chance a move for Guimaraes could now be shelved in order to avoid a wider exodus.

So far, Arsenal have signed only Christos Tzolis among their outfield squad additions, while alternative options to Bruno and his international team-mate Vinicius Jr would likely represent a major drop in quality.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are going through another difficult summer, 12 months after a challenging transfer window that Howe helped manage behind the scenes.

The Toon have already missed out in the market on players such as Johan Mazambi and Victor Munoz, after encountering similar problems in previous windows when trying to sign Marc Guehi, Joao Pedro, James Trafford and Hugo Ekitike.

Howe leaves Newcastle with a 48.5 per cent win rate from 231 matches, having delivered the club’s first trophy of this century through their Carabao Cup success in 2025.