He studied journalism at the University of South Wales and published a football book, named Bluebird Heaven, around the same time with Pitch Publishing.
Since then, Jamie has continued to specialise in football journalism, PR and football-related Spanish translation. He has worked with a number of media companies, including Reach PCL, Iconic Group and many more over a decade-long career.
Arsenal are said to be closing in on a statement deal as they look to improve their midfield this summer. The Gunners are now looking to ramp up their summer business after confirming the signing of Christos Tzolis, and they have more business they want to do. Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta are keen to take this squad to the next level, which means becoming dominant in the Premier League and winning the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta wants a left-sided attacker and a dynamic midfielder as the priorities, and it’s likely the Gunners will need to address some other areas when squad players join Leandro Trossard in finding opportunities to start elsewhere.
As far as the midfield signing goes, it looks as though the Gunners could be making serious progress.
bruno guimaraes chelsea
According to Football Transfers, Arsenal are now ‘closing in’ on a deal to sign Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who has been a target for them for much of the summer. The Brazilian is said to be hoping for a bigger opportunity this summer, but his midfield partner Sandro Tonali has already left for Tottenham on a £100million deal, and that complicates things for Guimaraes.
Newcastle are desperate to get back to qualifying for Europe after a disappointing season of last, and having lost Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer, they will not want to lose Guimaraes.
For that reason, it’s likely to take big money for the Magpies to strike a deal, and the report doesn’t mention a fee, only that Arsenal are only missing the ‘finishing touches’ when it comes to completing the Guimaraes deal. That would be a huge boost for the Gunners, and it would tick off one of two big priorities, with the attacker being the other. The report claims Arsenal want a left-side attacker who can play as a winger or a striker, and that it does not have to be an out-and-out winger. Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez is seen as the ideal, but there is competition aplenty this summer, and Atletico Madrid will ask for huge money.
Guimaraes has established himself as one of the most reliable midfielders in the Premier League over recent years. Speaking to Sky Sports back in 2022, pundit Jamie Carragher said: “He can read the game, he knows when to tackle. He looks like an intelligent footballer. He’s making more tackles per 90 than anybody else and he’s winning possession more than everybody except Declan Rice. But you then look at what he’s doing going forward in terms of carries, chances created and through balls. This suggests he’s a complete midfield player.
“When you play in a top team, you’ve also got to be able to deal with pressure and on the flip side of that most teams now want to press high, so as a midfielder you’ve got to be press-resistant. His pass success rate under pressure this season is 86 per cent – the fourth-highest in the Premier League behind Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Reece James.
“That shows how good he is when he gets pressed and when he doesn’t have time on the ball. He reminds me of a Bryan Robson, a Peter Reid, a Roy Keane, a Patrick Vieira. It wasn’t just about sitting in front of the back four, it’s actually box to
box and to cover every blade of grass.”