French publications France Bleu and LOSC Actualite claim that the Gunners are very keen on Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.
With the former Brazil youth international now heavily linked with a move to the Emirates, Tribuna.com introduces you to our potential signing.
Reliable at the back
The Brazilian operates as a left centre-back. He possesses good defensive stats, averaging 1.7 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game. He also makes 6 ball recoveries per 90.
Gabriel's physical attributes help him dominate in the air as he wins roughly two-thirds of his aerial duels.
Lille had one of the best defensive records in Ligue 1 in the 2019/20 season, cut short because of the pandemic. In his 24 league games, Les Dogues conceded just 21 goals.
Mikel Arteta has switched to a three-man defence after lockdown. The 22-year-old is accustomed to this system as Lille occasionally use a similar system.
Gabriel used to be teammates with Nico:
Modern defender
He enjoys going forward with the ball and actively participates in his team's build-up. Magalhaes distributes the ball accurately, averaging an 82.2 pass success rate.
This is used by his manager as he instructs the Brazilian to feed the forwards (Nico Pepe last season and his replacement Victor Osimhen in the 19/20 campaign) with long balls. In fact, the 22-year-old operates as a deep-lying playmaker.
40 per cent of his passes this season were aimed forward: it's a very high number for a centre-back. Gabriel excels at sending the ball behind opposition defender's backs and could be an ace in Arteta's sleeve given Arsenal possess many fast forwards who know how to beat an offside trap.
Warrior mentality
GFFN report the defender left his home town at the age of 13 in order to play football at Avai, based in another state. He felt homesick and returned the next week. However, his father urged him to reconsider this decision and Gabriel re-joined Avai.
Magalhaes left his home at a very young age and moved to Europe when he was 19, accepting Lille's offer. He was loaned out to a Ligue 1 side Troyes and then to Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian league.
The centre-back is known for his adaptability and professionalism. He possesses the characteristics Mikel Arteta wants to see in his players and will certainly integrate well as he can count on his compatriot David Luiz to ease his adaptation to Arsenal.
Talented defender from Ligue 1? I think I've heard it before...
Potential transfer details
This is not the first time the 22-year-old's name appears next to the word 'Arsenal' but this times it is claimed Arteta's side have jumped in front of the queue for the Brazilian, leapfrogging the likes of Napoli, Everton and Man United.
The Sao-Paolo born defender is said to be available for £30m and, as the last-year's move for Nico Pepe showed, it's never easy to negotiate with Lille.
It is claimed that Arsenal have a good relationship with the Ligue 1 side and the Ivorian's transfer could actually help the Gunners seal the deal this time.
Do you think it would make sense for Arsenal to splash the cash on Gabriel? Tell us in the comments or through blogs!
