£44m player Newcastle wanted in the summer says he’s really good friends with Bruno Guimaraes

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle United missed out on the chance to give Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton another Brazilian friend at St James’ Park this summer.

There were plenty of changes to Eddie Howe’s side, with Newcastle making six senior signings. There were also departures for Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, resulting in the Newcastle United squad now looking very different.

The biggest change was up front, with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa replacing Wilson and Isak. Wissa’s deadline day arrival brought an end to a challenging striker pursuit, with Newcastle spending the majority of the summer failing to bring in a new goalscorer.

One option Newcastle considered was Rodrigo Muniz. The Fulham forward was on the Magpies’ radar, alongside the likes of Jorgen Strand Larsen and Ollie Watkins.

However, the Brazilian did not make the move to Tyneside.

Rodrigo Muniz says he is friends with Newcastle United’s Brazilian duo

It surely would have been a move that appealed to Muniz, as he has admitted during an interview with the Premier League’s official YouTube channel that he is friends with Newcastle United midfielders Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.

Muniz, who was reportedly valued at £44million by Fulham this summer, was asked if he has good relationships with any of the Brazilian players that are in the Premier League.

“Yeah, when you play against Chelsea now, Joao Pedro is a good friend of mine,” he said.

“When you play against Newcastle, [Bruno] Guimaraes and Joelinton. Brazilians are friendly, it’s good when we play against the Brazilian guys.”

Newcastle United were right to sign Yoane Wissa ahead of Rodrigo Muniz

While Muniz would have been able to quickly settle in at Newcastle United thanks to Bruno and Joelinton, the Magpies made the right decision in buying Wissa.

Newcastle have overspent on Wissa, costing £55million from Brentford. However, he looks tailormade to succeed under Eddie Howe. His goalscoring record in the Premier League is outstanding, while Newcastle are crying out for a player like him to put away the chances they are creating.

In contrast, Muniz is a bit more unproven. While he has performed well for Fulham, his goal record is not particularly spectacular. Last season was his best to date, netting 11 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions. For reference, Wissa got 20 at Brentford.

Muniz does have age on his side at 24, but Newcastle needed someone to be a difference-maker right now – especially following the arrival of Woltemade from the Bundesliga.

The Magpies made the right decision, and that will certainly prove to be the case once Wissa returns from injury.