Gabriel Magalhaes has admitted to Arsenal’s official website that he fulfilled a ‘childhood dream’ by joining the Premier League giants during the summer.
After a lot of speculation, the Gunners finally signed the Brazilian centre-back in a £27 million deal in September.
Gabriel had emerged as one of the best defenders in French football after showcasing his abilities with Lille in recent years.
But the 22-year-old has claimed that he always had on eye on a potential move to England – and, in particular, a switch to boyhood club Arsenal.
He said: “Arsenal is a huge club, one of the biggest in the world, and I told my agent from the start that if Arsenal came in for me, I wanted to wear the shirt, play at the stadium and feel the fans’ support because it’s a club I’ve always watched.
“I’m now very pleased to be here today alongside top players. It’s a childhood dream of mine.”
It’s early days but Arsenal look like they’ve pulled off quite a coup here.
In this day and age, £27 million isn’t a huge amount of money. You could very easily spend double that and still have no guarantee that your investment is going to adapt to life in the Premier League.
But Gabriel certainly looks the business and even Mikel Arteta admitted that he didn’t expect the young South American to transition as rapidly and as efficiently as he has done.
Arteta said last month: “Don’t forget, Thomas and Gabriel are completely new to this league. Honestly, I didn’t expect this level from them so soon because I know how tough this league is – you cannot compare it to any other league in the world.”
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