It was only going to be a matter of time until Arsenal’s stars began being linked with the biggest and best clubs on the planet. This is what happens when you step up your recruitment and find the gems that take your team to the next level and Gabriel Magalhaes has certainly been one of them.
Arsenal under the guidance of Mikel Arteta and Edu as a technical director has changed the way the Gunners find talents and whilst there are huge upsides regarding what they bring to the table there are drawbacks. Yet, these deficiencies are far from unfamiliar to the club.
Arsenal were a side that would find unknown stars and, under Arsene Wenger during the years of financial restraint, sell them on. This eventually stopped as Arsenal could spend more money but the mistakes in the market still see the club struggling to shift their surplus players in 2022.
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The players signed under Arteta and Edu, have stopped the slide and turned the club in the direction of looking up the table again. Gabriel was one of the first, brought in during the first summer window of the Spaniard’s tenure.
Two years on, he is an established Premier League-level starter and according to the Independent, Juventus want the Brazilian after missing out on Kalidou Koulibaly. Arsenal are said to demand in excess of £50 million for Gabriel.
Supporters will certainly be irritated by the links but, if reports are to be believed, Arsenal are preparing for the worst-case scenario that they lose the 24-year-old. According to transfersdotcom, Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba is a profile being considered.
Leverkusen value him at between €40million-€50million (£34million-£44million), despite being right-footed, he can play on either side of a defensive pairing. The link should not come as a surprise with the Gunners being touted as potential suitors for the Burkina Faso international for a number of windows.
There’s no denying that Tapsoba is a player of genuine quality but there is an element of frustration in not only Gabriel leaving but moving to Juventus. The Turin-based club have thwarted a number of Arsenal’s transfer plans in the past two years.
First Manuel Locatelli in 2021 followed by the infamous chase of Dusan Vlahovic in January earlier this year. Of course, targets move elsewhere, but the thought of losing a starting centre-half with levels still to achieve to the unspoken rivals and villains of the modern Arsenal era is a bitter pill.
Thankfully, there are plenty of suggestions that Arsenal have no intention of letting Gabriel Leave. He still has three years left on his deal with there being earlier reports the club were considering offering him an improved contract with the club.
Gabriel has become one of the vocal leaders within the group and on social media. Regularly posting messages to fans after both wins and losses. Keeping him should be a high priority for the Gunners.
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