Arsenal open new contract talks with 26yo starter | OneFootball

Arsenal have begun talks over a new contract for Gabriel Magalhaes, though those conversations are still at an early stage.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Gabriel of Arsenal celebrates victory after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Charles Watts reports that Arsenal have started the process of trying to extend Gabriel Magalhaes’ contract, opening talks over a new deal.

Watts adds that the discussions are still at quite an early stage, but they are underway.

Gabriel was one of the first players in the current team to sign a contract extension, so he already has a deal lasting until 2027. But that means he’s now down to his final three years, and this seems like a good time to start having a look at extending again.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Gabriel of Arsenal scores his team’s first goal past Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham Hotspur (obscured) during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Gabriel certainly seems to be enjoying his football, and he’s getting plenty of praise at the moment.

After the centre-back’s goal and Arsenal’s clean sheet in Sunday’s north London derby, he was named in multiple Teams of the Week and won the Player of the Match award.

The 26-year-old was also recently named in the PFA Team of the Year for 2023/24, calling his inclusion “a massive honour”.

Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes poses on the red carpet upon arrival for the 2023-2024 Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) awards, at the Opera House, in Manchester, northern England, on August 20, 2024. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

The Brazil international has kicked off the new season with four starts in four games, playing every minute of Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season. He also played the full 90 of both of Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers over the international break.

It’s clear Gabriel is held in high regard by his club and his country at the moment, and Arsenal will now look to tie him down for the long term.