Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has had a strong start to his career at the Emirates, following his £27m move from Lille in the summer.
The Brazilian has only played four games for the Gunners so far, but he has only conceded two goals, as well as scoring himself on his debut. Supporters on Twitter are optimistic that the defender will turn out to be a good purchase by the club:
Reminds me of Sol Campbell
— Ted Ayani (@AyaniTed) October 7, 2020
Well scouted
— korsonagyimi❄️ (@korsonagyimi) October 7, 2020
it's the 1v1 duels that are really impressive for me ✅?
— Owen Martin (@OwenMartinAFC) October 7, 2020
He's actually worth the hype though. Can hardly speak a word of English yet he's playing like he's been here for a while. Still early days but he looks the goods
— Jo?️sh (@joshorjoash) October 7, 2020
He’s going to be a top player for us
— Wayne Heywood (@WayneHeywood7) October 7, 2020
Most impressive thing is his timing of the tackle, just knows when and how to win the ball back, very proactive and also always seems in the right position to block shots. Leno, Gabriel, Partey and Auba is our core now. Now to build around this core.
— Amol Pratap Singh Mansahia (@Fantasista_24) October 7, 2020
Looks very good so far but let’s not put too much pressure on him. I still think we aren’t adequately stocked at centre back. Saliba isn’t ready yet it seems, Luiz struggles in a 4, Mustafi is Mustafi and Sokratis is terrible. Mari can only play on the left.
— The Steady Gooner (@thesteadygooner) October 7, 2020
has a functioning brain so he’s automatically better than most of our other centre backs
— 8 (@ArtetaBaII) October 7, 2020
To be honest, it is probably too early to make any definitive judgements on Gabriel. He has certainly started his career at Arsenal strongly but, as we have seen with other signings in the past, things can quickly unravel.
The 22-year-old needs to be tested against stronger opposition before an assessment can be made. He did keep a clean sheet versus Liverpool in the Carabao Cup but it must be pointed out that was the Reds’ reserves. The away fixture against Manchester City after the international break will be a better barometer of where he is at.