Gabriel Magalhães completes Arsenal medical

Gabriel Magalhães was at London Colney today and passed his Arsenal medical, according to multiple reports. He was granted special permission to have his medical before starting his 14-day self-isolation period. The British government has a mandatory quarantine policy for individuals arriving from France, so Gabriel will not be able to train with his new teammates for two weeks.

Per Ornstein, it’s a €26m + €4m in add-ons sale for the 22-year old Brazilian centerback, which strikes me as a pretty good deal. Gabriel’s defensive numbers compare favorably to a number of established, well-known centerbacks. He’s also left-footed, which is important for how Mikel Arteta wants to set up his side. When Pablo Mari is healthy, the Gunners will have two left-footed centerbacks, which hardly any team in Europe can boast.

The other bit of news from the Gabriel transfer comes from a quote from his agent.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a player extol Mikel Arteta’s plan; Willian said something similar when he joined the club. Arteta was also instrumental in getting the players to accept the pay cut back in March. He’s clearly a good communicator and persuasive speaker. Arsenal cannot compete financially with the big dogs in Europe, so it’s nice to have an “x-factor” in Arteta to help get deals over the line.