KEY POINTS

  • Arsenal completed the signing of Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille for $36 million
  • Gunners technical director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta are looking forward to having Gabriel on the team
  • Gabriel is the third defender Arsenal has signed this transfer window

Arsenal has officially announced the signing of Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who has been likened to Kalidou Koulibaly.

Mikel Arteta’s side has already signed several defenders this transfer window but added another one after completing the move of Lille star Gabriel in a deal worth around £27 million ($36 million).

The 22-year-old Brazilian has finalized his move to the Emirates Stadium and will wear a no. 6 shirt next season. The Gunners are pleased to welcome Gabriel to their squad, with Arteta and technical director Edu already “looking forward” to having him on the pitch.

On the club’s official website, Edu revealed that Arsenal has been monitoring Gabriel’s progress for quite some time and that they “are delighted to have signed” him this summer.

“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,” Edu said of Gabriel.

Arteta, meanwhile, opened up about his plans to develop Gabriel’s game as an Arsenal player, having witnessed his “many outstanding attributes” in Lille.

“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,” the coach said.

Gabriel dos Santos Magalhaes of Lille during the Ligue 1 match between Lille OSC (LOSC) and Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon, OL)
Gabriel dos Santos Magalhaes of Lille during the Ligue 1 match between Lille OSC (LOSC) and Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon, OL) Getty Images | Jean Catuffe

Following his move to Arsenal, a comprehensive scout report from Talksport on what Gabriel can contribute to the Gunners in the upcoming Premier League season concluded that “there are definite similarities in playing style and effectiveness between Gabriel and the Senegalese central defender Koulibally.”

Arsenal managed to sign three defenders in just over a week, with Gabriel being the third.

On Aug. 24, the Gunners officially welcomed defenders Pablo Mari from Flamengo and Cedric Soares from Inter Milan to the first team.

The pair joined Arsenal in January initially on loan. But after “impressing on and off the pitch” over the past eight months, the Gunners and all parties involved agreed to make Mari and Soares permanent players in the squad.

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