Arsenal: Mikel Arteta blocked this £100m player from leaving in summer
By Kian Long
In hindsight, Arsenal had one of the best transfer windows in the Premier League in summer. Not only did they invest a lot and strengthened in the necessary positions but Mikel Arteta managed to keep ahold of his best players. Keeping the main players is an overlooked factor which Arteta had a harder time achieving than it would first seem.
According to Football Insider, Arsenal actually blocked the sale of Gabriel Magalhaes to Saudi Arabia, with the Pro League sides very interested in signing the Brazil international. Being worth around £100m, it has recently been stated that Arsenal wouldn’t even consider £200m to sell Gabriel. That’s now important he is to Mikel Arteta.
In the first three games of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Gabriel didn’t start a single match. However, he did come off the bench in those matches and had a significant impact. In the most recent Premier League match, Gabriel started against Manchester United and looked like one of the best players on the pitch. Therefore, it is safe to say that Gabriel is BACK.
The Brazil international was recently involved in an injury scare, as he was subbed off during international duty. However, it’s recently been declared that the knock wasn’t serious, and he’s likely to feature for Arsenal against Everton.
🗞| Arsenal & Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhães, who was replaced at the end of the last match [vs Bolivia] with muscle pain in his right thigh, performed imaging tests that did not indicate any injury. The defender is set to start against Peru on Tuesday. [@geglobo] 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/tjGkvrQTAy
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) September 11, 2023
As Arsenal prepare to kick off their return to Champions League football, with a fixture against PSV next Wednesday, Gabriel has been included in the squad. His brilliant defending is likely to be called upon as PSV possesses a lethal attack.
Do you think Arsenal will ever sell Gabriel?