Pundit raves about ‘commanding’ Arsenal player who gives Arteta more options

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Arsenal got off to a fine start in the Premier League against Fulham on Saturday. The Gunners scored three and kept a clean sheet away from home, something they have struggled to do recently.

Mikel Arteta also handed debuts to two summer signings. Willian had an impressive game and was involved in all three goals to cap off a fine first start for his new club.

Gabriel Magalhaes was the other one – and the young Brazilian defender couldn’t have asked for a better start. The £23.14 million signing from Lille (BBC) helped the Gunners keep a clean sheet and scored a goal on his debut.

Garth Crooks was impressed by a number of Arsenal players’ performances but Gabriel caught his eye and the Brazilian was a part of his team of the week.

He wrote on BBC Sport: “I thought Arsenal’s first-half performance at Fulham was impressive, especially the contribution of Kieran Tierney. However, it was Gabriel who caught my eye.

“The 22-year-old Brazilian looked commanding at the back and comfortable on the ball. Arsenal seemed to benefit from the inspired additions of Gabriel and Willian to the set-up – and they suddenly look a team with options.”

Gabriel was brilliant against Fulham

Arsenal have eight first-team centre-halves in their ranks at the moment but five of them were injured for the game against Fulham. William Saliba was left at home, which forced Arteta to start Gabriel much sooner than he would have ideally liked to.

However, Gabriel was brilliant for the Gunners on Saturday. The former Lille man made three clearances, two tackles and won six of his nine attempted duels. He completed 108 passes with a stunning passing accuracy of 95%, something Arteta demands from his defenders (SofaScore).

Gabriel started in the centre of a back three but is more than capable of playing on the left of a back four. Willian’s versatility in attack allows him to play on both wings or as a number 10, which leaves Arteta with a ton of options for the rest of this season.