Arsenal fans are something else when it comes to transfers.
We’ve seen them track flights and cars before, but never have they been quite as hot on the heels as they have with Gabriel. Who can blame them when this saga has dragged on for quite some time?
It seems Gabriel arrived in a private plane at around 10am this morning. He will now head to Arsenal to complete any paperwork and a medical. The below information in the tweet was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.
For everyone asking, this a Brazilian made private jet and it flew from Lille to Luton which is about 16miles to Colney pic.twitter.com/Ld0e3cMOMC
— Liam (@itsAFCLiam) August 24, 2020
The 22-year-old will sign a five-year contract at Arsenal, with the Gunners paying around 30m euros to Lille, including bonuses.
Lille’s president, Gerard Lopez, believes the player is destined for the top. “I feel he is among the top five dominant central defenders in Europe right now,” he said recently.
Read our feature on Gabriel Magalhaes, which includes extensive analysis of Arsenal’s new signing.
Off the ball Gabriel has averaged 5.1 aerial duels per 90 this season. Of those duels, he has won 3.4 per 90. For comparison, giants Virgil Van Dijk and Harry Maguire have averaged 4.9 and 4.6 aerial duels per match respectively, although with only a marginally better success rate.
It’s certainly an exciting signing. Stay tuned for pictures on fresharsenal.com upon official confirmation of the deal.