'Underrated' Arsenal star has made decision on his future

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes is happy to stay with the club despite interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Gabriel Magalhaes is planning to stay with Arsenal amid rumours surrounding his future in North London.

That is according to the Daily Mail, who claim that Real do have a genuine interest in signing Gabriel this summer.

Real have suffered a major blow with defender Eder Militao suffering a significant knee injury.

That means Real could look to dip back into the market for another defender and Militao’s fellow Brazilian Gabriel is wanted.

Add in that The Mirror reported just last week that Gabriel was wanted in Saudi Arabia and Arsenal fans were fearing the worst.

Gabriel had been curiously left out of the Arsenal starting lineup to face Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend of the season.

That all seemed to be hinting towards a potential departure but Gabriel is understood to be happy at Arsenal.

The 25-year-old is described as being ‘committed’ to the Arsenal cause right now and no transfer is expected before the deadline.

Gabriel Magalhaes staying a major boost for Arsenal

Mikel Arteta may have left Gabriel on the bench against Forest but his importance is clear for all to see.

The Brazilian – hailed as ‘underrated’ by Albert Sambi Lokonga – offers a left-footed presence at the back which is vital for many mangers in the modern game.

Jakub Kiwior came in during the January transfer window but he certainly isn’t ready to take over from Gabriel right now.

Selling Gabriel would have left Arsenal scrambling around to sign a replacement in the final stages of the window.

The Mirror suggested that Arteta wanted to bring Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte to Arsenal if Gabriel moved on.

Laporte instead looks likely to move on to Saudi Arabia, so Arsenal’s top target could be unavailable anyway.

The Gunners are better off sticking with Gabriel and getting his season started, possibly in tonight’s game against Crystal Palace.