Bruno Guimaraes has committed himself to Newcastle - and insists he is ready to make it a “special” season chasing a trophy.
The £100m Brazilian playmaker has ended any fears he could be sold to Manchester City and sat next to boss Eddie Howe as he said: “I want to help this guy and he has developed my game and it is time for me to deliver something special for him.”
Guimaraes joked he “almost passed out” during his first day of pre-season training last week in the searing heat of Japan, after being given an extended summer break following internationals. He played 64 games last season and was key for club and country.
And without European football on Tyneside this season, Guimaraes says they can be back challenging for the top four again.
He said: “I am here and never said I would like to leave. Since I signed I want to put my name in club history and nothing changes. This is not something I get involved in, it is with my agent. I don’t know anything about it… my focus is Newcastle and I am very happy.
"I want to win some trophies. When I came I said I wanted to play in the Champions League and everyone said I am crazy! Now I want to be there again and win something. We work hard for it.”
Guimaraes has been voted on to Newcastle’s leadership group by the squad and is an inspiration on and off the pitch, leading by example. He said: “To be honest, I don't know how I've played so many games but I did it and I'm happy. Last season was a very, very good season for me. I never thought in my life I'd play 64 games in a season, it was my record. I also broke my record for number of goals and assists - it was a very, very good season for me."
Guimaraes hinted it was a big season in Newcastle’s relaunch. It will be three years since the Saudi takeover and extra investment, and they want rewards.
He added: “It is a key season for the club. I mean that we're just playing in the Premier League, so we're going to have time to train. Last December we played nine games in a month, so it was too much for our squad.
"We were without key players, so this season we have time to train and last time it was like that, we did very, very well in the Premier League. I want to be back in the Champions League. I think not playing European football will give us time to be focused just in the Premier League to get the club back in the Champions League.”
Bruno will play a part in one of the friendly games Newcastle have against Girona and Brest on Friday night and Saturday, with most of the squad likely to get 90 minutes. Howe is embracing the expectation Guimaraes is creating ahead of the season.
He said: “I'm very comfortable with it. I think we have to have high expectations of ourselves. We have to push ourselves internally. I think it's slightly different when you're in my position, because yes, you can have your targets, but nothing's going to be given to you. You have to earn the right to get to that point.
“The competition is so high. So we have to improve from last year. We've been working hard in pre-season to improve certain aspects of our play.
"Hopefully that shows by the time we kick off and we can build consistency and confidence in our game early.”