Arsenal beat several clubs to the signing of young defender Gabriel

The highly sort after centreback has decided to join the London outfit in what will be seen as a major step in the right direction for Arsenal fans.

HAVING beaten the likes of Manchester United, Everton and Napoli for the signature of Gabriel, Gunners fans will be hoping that 22-year-old is the missing link to secure their leaky defence.

The young Brazilian joins Arsenal on a long-tern contract from French side, Lille, in a transfer believed to be around £27 million.

Arsenal have struggled in defence, arguably since the mid 2000’s, and the arrival of the young centre-back will hopefully bolster an area that Mikel Arteta has been desperate to strengthen.

Head coach Arteta’s options in defence that will be further boosted by William Saliba, who spent last season on loan at St Etienne, following his £27 million signing from the French club last summer.

Centre-back Gabriel, who made 34 appearances in all competitions last season as Lille finished fourth in Ligue 1, also played in all six of Lille’s Champions League group stage matches last season, and is Arsenal’s second major summer signing.

Willian completed his move from rival’s Chelsea in mid-August, in what has already been a busy transfer window for the Gunners.

“We welcome Gabriel to Arsenal,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told the club’s website. “He has many qualities which will make us stronger as a defensive unit and as a team.

“He has proved with Lille that he is a defender with many outstanding attributes and we are looking forward to watching him grow as an Arsenal player.”

Technical director Edu added: “We are delighted to have signed Gabriel. He is a player we have been studying for a while and he was in demand from many clubs, so we are proud to have agreed and completed this transfer with Lille and the player.

“Gabriel is a player of high quality and Mikel and his coaches are looking forward to integrating him into the club.”

Gabriel, full name Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães, is the second player to join Arsenal from Lille in the past 12 months, following Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe’s move to the Emirates for a club-record £72m last summer.

The defender is a welcomed addition to the Arsenal squad, who do not have many options in defence, and Gunners fans and their manager, will be hoping that Gabriel will be an instant success.

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