According to the Supercomputer, Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes is alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Thiago Alcantara as one of the three best midfielders to have played in the Premier League in 21/22. The Brazilian was slowly brought into the team by Eddie Howe after becoming the Magpies star signing of the January transfer window, but his class was immediately obvious so Newcastle fans won't be surprised to see him recognised in such a way.
In this case, the recognition is in the form of a place in Bet Victor's 'stat based team of the year'. The players chosen are those which are the top rated players in their position, with the final rating made up from scores in several different stats related to the player's position.
Notably, Guimaraes takes up the defensive midfield role, ahead of Manchester City's Rodri and West Ham's Declan Rice. The analysts at Bet Victor explained why that was.
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"The 24-year-old is the top-rated defensive midfielder for non-penalty expected goals with 0.27 per 90. His 0.96 shots on target per 90 is a better rate than that achieved by teammates Callum Wilson (0.84) and Allan Saint-Maximin (0.83) – meaning the Brazilian brings a deadly goalscoring threat to his game. Something which has been spotted at international level, with him becoming a regular in Tite’s squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
"He also makes the 10th most successful pressures in the league with 7.22 per 90, along with the most possession winning tackles of any player with 3.39 per 90, meaning he offers exceptional intensity and aggression, making him the perfect profile for the Premier League."
Newcastle are expected to go after more big singings in the transfer window this summer. If they can manage to identify and attract others of a similar level as Guimaraes, Newcastle fans will have a team they can dream that lights up the Premier League.
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