Gabriel Magalhaes edges closer to breaking Arsenal defender record

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Gabriel Magalhaes had quite the afternoon in Arsenal’s clash with Bournemouth.

The Brazilian centre-back has become one of the most consistent defenders in football over the past few years, and his form hasn’t dipped at all this season.

But Gabriel was at fault for Bournemouth’s opener, handing a gift to Evanilson. Even so, he bounced back quickly, firing home a fine finish just six minutes later to make amends for his earlier slip.

That goal brought him closer to another milestone with Arsenal.

Gabriel Magalhaes closing in on Laurent Koscielny’s Arsenal record

Gabriel Magalhaes has been a massive presence for Arsenal ever since he arrived at the club.

The Gunners brought him over from Lille in the summer of 2020, and he made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut against Fulham.

Since then, Gabriel has gone on to score 20 Premier League goals – more than any other defender in the league over that stretch.

His latest goal came against Bournemouth, and it moved him even closer to catching Laurent Koscielny’s club record.

Koscielny still holds the title as Arsenal’s highest-scoring defender in Premier League history, with 22 goals in 255 appearances. Gabriel is just two behind now and has needed far fewer matches to get there – just 175 games so far.

It seems likely that Gabriel will surpass Koscielny’s mark before long. That would be quite an accomplishment.

How close is Gabriel Magalhaes to the Premier League scoring record for defenders?

Twenty goals from centre-back is already a remarkable tally, and it feels like he’s just getting started.

Gabriel has become one of the biggest set-piece threats in the game, and as long as players like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka keep finding him with quality deliveries, there’s every reason to think that number will keep rising.

While surpassing Koscielny’s Arsenal record seems almost certain at this point, how does Gabriel stack up against the all-time Premier League mark for defenders?

John Terry holds that distinction with 41 goals in 492 appearances for Chelsea. Gabriel is still a long way off in terms of games played, but he’s already halfway to Terry’s total.

If he stays fit and keeps his place in the team over the coming seasons, reaching that milestone isn’t out of the question. Given his consistency so far, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him rewrite more than one record book before he’s finished.