Arsenal have made their second major addition of the summer transfer window, formally announcing the arrival of central defender Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille. Like Arsenal’s first addition this summer, ex-Chelsea man Willian, Gabriel hails from Brazil. The final transfer fee was reportedly around €30 million, and he’ll join the Gunners on a five-year deal.
Long linked to the club this past spring and all summer long, getting this deal over the line will be a relief to Arsenal supporters everywhere.
The 22-year-old, who will wear the No. 6, was officially announced by the club earlier today.
Arsenal Technical Director Edu said in a club statement: “We are delighted to have signed Gabriel. He is a player we have been studying for a while and he was in demand from many clubs, so we are proud to have agreed and completed this transfer with Lille and the player. Gabriel is a player of high quality and Mikel and his coaches are looking forward to integrating him into the club.”
Added manager Mikel Arteta: “We welcome Gabriel to Arsenal. He has many qualities which will make us stronger as a defensive unit and as a team. He has proved with Lille that he is a defender with many outstanding attributes and we are looking forward to watching him grow as an Arsenal player.”
?? Welcome to The Arsenal, @biel_m04! ? pic.twitter.com/xT1idCej8r
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 1, 2020
Here is a link to his first interview as a member of the club. Arsenal beat out several clubs to acquire the signature of Gabriel, with Napoli the other finalist. He was also linked to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
Arsenal really needed to strengthen their back line this summer, and the left-footed Gabriel will pair with the right-footed William Saliba (who was acquired last summer, but spent the past season out on loan with ASSE) to provide the north London side their central defense duo of the future.
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