An “underrated” member of the Arsenal squad is always working to get better and ultimately prove himself, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano sharing news out of London Colney.
Unbeaten Arsenal prepare for Leicester City on Saturday
After coming through tough encounters against Tottenham, Atalanta and Premier League title rivals Man City unscathed and unbeaten, the north Londoners host Leicester City at 3pm on Saturday in what is their first home game in weeks.
Manager Mikel Arteta is preparing his weakened side to take on the newly-promoted Foxes in a clash they should win comfortably, especially when factoring in their exceptional results against a trio of hard opposition in the last 11 days.
Arsenal’s seized all the bragging rights against Tottenham, courtesy of star defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who rose highest to head in their winner from a corner. David Raya’s heroics also ensured that Arteta’s side came away from Bergamo with their first Champions League point of the season, before the Gunners nearly defeated Man City at the Etihad Stadium.
|
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Leicester City (home) |
September 28 |
|
Southampton (home) |
October 5 |
|
Bournemouth (away) |
October 19 |
|
Liverpool (home) |
October 27 |
|
Newcastle United (away) |
November 2 |
10-man Arsenal held a 2-1 lead right until the dying minutes, with John Stones scoring a dramatic late rebound to make it 2-2. Gabriel’s contribution in this run of results cannot be overestimated, as the Brazilian wreaked havoc during set pieces and had a big say in their games against Spurs and City.
Arteta needs heroes in the absence of key men, with summer signing Mikel Merino sidelined and Martin Odegaard still recovering from an ankle injury.
Gabriel Magalhaes always working to improve at Arsenal
Supporters will be very thankful for Gabriel’s involvement as a result, with Romano now sharing news on the South American’s work ethic.
Arsenal signed the 26-year-old from Lille for around £23 million in 2020, and he has since gone on to form an exceptional partnership with William Saliba at the heart of Arteta’s defence. Romano writes that Gabriel is always working to improve at Arsenal, as he desperately seeks to prove his worth and help them win major silverware.
“Gabriel… another top player,” said Romano in his Dailybriefing.
“A super professional who is always studying how to improve, he was an excellent signing from Lille when other clubs (especially Napoli and Juventus) wanted him.”
Journalist Kaya Kaynak, speaking on The Arsenal Beat podcast, has also lavished Gabriel as an unsung hero.
“Gabriel Magalhaes is the most underrated player in the Arsenal team,” said Kaynak. “What’s underestimated about Gabriel Magalhaes, I think maybe, everyone accepts that he is fantastic defensively, they accept he’s strong, they accept he’s a leader, they accept he’s great in the air.
“But the one thing he never seems to have been able to get over is this, sort of, unwritten assumption that there’s a rick in him. That there’s an error never too far around the corner, and obviously that has been the case in the past…I think maybe people have had that with them as a bit of a legacy of what’s gone past, but interestingly enough, this season the amount of errors he has conceded leading to goals has been zero. So, he’s improved that, he’s cut that out of his game.”