Gabriel Magalhaes is wanted by clubs in Saudi Arabia

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 25: Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal in action with Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Arsenal FC at The King Power Stadium on February 25, 2023 in Leicester, United Kingdom

Gabriel Magalhaes is wanted by clubs in Saudi Arabia and the defender has now dropped a hint about his future as Arsenal makes him not for sale

Gabriel is one of the finest defenders in the Premier League, but he is now struggling to play as Mikel Arteta uses Ben White at centre-back and experiments with Thomas Partey at right-back

Arsenal had no intention to sell Gabriel Magalhaes this summer amidst interest from Saudi Arabia, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Gabriel joined the Gunners from Lille for around £23million in 2020

He has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League since making the move to England.

The 25-year-old played a big part in Arsenal’s successful 2022/23 campaign, playing 48 times across all competition

Arsenal never wanted to sell Gabriel Magalhaes this summer; never a concrete option despite interest from Saudi, not even a negotiation between clubs,” Romano wrote on X, formerly Twitter

Not even for €200m!’, this was the comment from sources close to negotiations replying to Gabriel-Saudi links.”

Gabriel might not have started any of Arsenal’s opening three Premier League fixtures but he did come off the bench on matchday one and two

Speaking after the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on August 21, Arteta explained why Gabriel had not been included in any of his first two starting XIs of the season.

“It’s about the games we were expecting, that I was expecting, and how I wanted to defend and attack and what I believed was the best thing,” the Spanish manager said.

“He’s played in both games, he helped us to win both games for different reasons.

I think he understands the reason, whether he agrees or not, that’s something different. But the best way to do it is when you play, just tell me how blind I’m wrong, I a

He [Arteta] spoke to me and obviously explained the reasons behind the decision, why I should stay – but the most important thing was to remain focused and concentrate. He knew how important I was to the team, so I’m happy to be back and to be able to help the team in every game

There are a lot of things that have happened to him,” said Arteta. “His role in the team has grown. In his personal life as well, he’s got a very different personal life than he had before with his family and his language

Despite initial concerns over his future, Gabriel has featured in 30 of Arsenal’s 34 league matches this season, making two additional appearances off the bench. His commanding presence at the back could be crucial in the final four games of the campaign

Of course, loyalty is less common than ever in football but Gabriel’s glowing assessment of life at Arsenal go a long way in showing his love for the club. Considering these comments, plus the fact that he has begun to form such a strong partnership with fellow Gunners centre-half William Saliba, a move away from the club this month would certainly be a surprise to supporters

Since then, Gabriel has started all but one of the Gunners’ last 20 games in the Premier League, while playing the full 90′ minutes in 19 of them. The Brazilian has come back fighting, and proved to Mikel Arteta why he’s so important to the Arsenal set-up

Gabriel’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed within and outside the club. The Brazilian centre-back has most recently been nominated for the Premier League player of the month for January following his top displays against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest

Mikel Arteta mentioned in his press conference on Friday how Gabriel had changed things in his personal life to help improve his mentality heading into this season: “He also changed a lot of things in his life and improved his mentality. He can decide what he wants to be and I think he made the right call to take the direction he took.

Instead, Arteta opted to cram the lineup with as many ball-possessors and skilled passers to pressure opponents who don’t offer as much going the other way. I suspect Thomas Partey’s temporary inclusion on the backline is also to blame for Gabriel’s spot on the bench. The Arsenal manager has brought the

Brazilian on in both matches to hold onto a lead, and he donned the captain’s armband after replacing Martin Ødegaard against Crystal Palace. Against tougher opposition, expect Mikel Arteta to start Gabriel from the off. The return of Oleksandr Zinchenko from injury will allow Arsenal to fall into the defensive shape and rotations from last season

The Balogun transfer saga may come down to deadline day, but a move is overwhelming likely to happen. Arsenal may even be intentionally waiting until closer to the close of the window in the hopes that multiple Premier League clubs might get into a bidding war and drive up the price / agree to pay the £50M ask

In Saudi Arabia for a reported £46M. They have cash in hand and need a striker. The Cottagers have been linked with a move for Hugo Ekitike from PSG, who’d come much cheaper but is basically unproven at top-level football. It feels as if they should at least inquire about Balogun

Real Sociedad have been heavily linked with a loan move. The Spanish club have comparatively less money to spend and want an option to buy at the end of the loan. Arsenal want an obligation

It would take an enormous offer for Palace to even consider engaging in talks, but Arsenal are currently at their limit from a Financial Fair Play perspective – restrictions that forced them to sign goalkeeper David Raya on an initial loan

While it is still more likely that Gabriel will remain in north London, there remains a small chance the Gunners could sell him before the transfer window closes

According to Saudi journalist, the President of the Saudi Federation held a meeting with Gabriel in London last month to discuss a potential move to Al-Ittihad. The Saudi transfer window is set to close today but a move to join the likes of Fabinho, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante at Al-Ittihad looks unlikely

Ethan Nwaneri fired Arsenal ahead inside the opening quarter of an hour, becoming the first player in the club’s history to score two Premier League goals before turning 18. Shortly before half-time,

When you look at the incident, the player, Joao touching the ball then Saliba touching the ball, you can see contact there? If I expect it [to be overturned]? I checked after three seconds they said they already checked