Pundit Ian Wright has admitted that he simply adores Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes having forced his way back into the side.
Gabriel Magalhaes seemingly wasn’t worried at all when he lost his place in the Arsenal team earlier this season.
That is according to pundit Ian Wright, who has been speaking on his podcast, Wrighty’s House.
Arsenal kept another clean sheet on Saturday evening as Kai Havertz secured a 1-0 win away at Brentford.
The Gunners now boast the Premier League’s best defence, conceding just 10 goals in 13 games.
Ian Wright shares his love for Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes
Mikel Arteta seemed to have ideas to change his Arsenal back line at the start of the season.
Gabriel Magalhaes found himself out of the team despite being a mainstay of the side last season.
The Brazilian has forced his way back in and he seems almost undroppable again.
William Saliba gets most of the attention for his displays in the Arsenal back line but Ian Wright has now hailed his defensive partner Gabriel.
Wright has admitted that he absolutely adores Gabriel even if Saliba is the one who gets the most hype.
Wright added that he spoke to Gabriel at the start of the season as he struggled for first-team starts, but the defender wasn’t worried at all and suggested the situation was ‘fine’.
“I have to say, I love the lads but Gabriel Magalhaes is a player, I adore him. Saliba is somewhere else but I adore Gabriel,” said Wright. “I remember we were doing an Adidas shoot and he was there, it was just at the start of the season where, for some reason, he wasn’t in the team, which is something no-one has cleared up to me, he wasn’t being picked, I don’t know what was going on, he wasn’t injured, that was a worrying time for me. I remember saying something to him, but he gave me a look to say ‘it’s fine, everything is fine’,” he added.
Arsenal’s best back line includes Gabriel
It’s unclear just why Arteta tried to form a defence without Gabriel, but Arsenal are certainly better off with him involved.
Gabriel and Saliba seem to dovetail together so well and it’s hard to imagine them not playing together now.
There have been doubts about Gabriel during his time at Arsenal, with some seeing him as rash in years gone by following a £27million move from Lille.
Those concerns appear to have vanished in recent times though and Arsenal’s outstanding defensive record just goes to show that Gabriel is a key part of Arteta’s side.
Gunners fans will be hoping to see Gabriel and Saliba continue their partnership for a while yet, with both players shining right now.
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