Gabriel Magalhaes has been a stalwart in the Arsenal defence ever since his arrival from LOSC Lille in 2020. This season, in particular, the defender has been a revelation, forming an immense partnership with teammate William Saliba, which has been an integral part of the Gunners’ success so far this campaign and the 24-year-old is unfortunate to not be included in Brazil’s 26-man squad for the Qatar World Cup.
However, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that: “during the summer, Gabriel Magalhaes was wanted by Juventus and another club, who I can’t reveal for now. Arsenal were absolutely adamant that he was untouchable, and their position never changed.”
Given his performances this season, that looks to have been a very smart decision by the club.
Arsenal Were ‘Adamant’ that Gabriel was ‘Untouchable’
Mikel Arteta: “Saliba & Gabriel were outstanding, both. They did great job again”. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
Arsenal already extended Gabriel’s contract until 2027 after rejecting 2 approaches in July — now working on Saliba’s new deal as main priority alongside Saka and Martinelli. pic.twitter.com/xuxNDQVb2C
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 6, 2022
Securing the Future of Arsenal
Romano went on to say: “They [Arsenal] then gave him [Gabriel] a new contract, and the priority now will be to go strong on new contract talks for William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. They are optimistic, they feel these players want to stay.”
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In recent times, Arsenal have switched their focus from quick fixes, Willian and David Luiz for example, to younger players with huge potential. Not only does it make sense from a financial point of view as younger players are more likely to uphold their resale value, but it makes a lot of sense from a footballing perspective too.
Young players are easier to mould, and as a result, Mikel Arteta has been able to rebuild the Gunners into a side capable of implementing his ideas and philosophies. Martinelli, Saka and Saliba have been at the forefront of that revolution, and the trio will be pivotal to any success Arsenal achieve under the Spaniard.
They have been among the best performers in the Premier League this season, and if Arsenal are able to tie all three of them down to new long-term deals, then an already bright future will get even brighter for the club.
Their Current Contracts
They do, however, need to act quickly, given that each of the trio’s contracts all expire at the end of next season.
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The saving grace regarding the deals of both Saliba and Martinelli is that the club already have the option to extend their current contracts by one year, which relieves some of the pressure surrounding their renewals. Unfortunately, though, the Gunners do not have that same luxury with Bukayo Saka, whose current contract does not include such a clause.
