Arteta praises terrific Gabriel and his ‘incredible future’ | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta sang Gabriel Magalhaes’ praises after the win over Burnley, suggesting the centre-back is now settling into the Premier League.

Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes takes the knee prior to the Premier League match at Turf Moor, Burnley. Picture date: Saturday, September 18, 2021. Copyright: Anthony Devlin

Aaron Ramsdale is deservedly getting a fair amount of praise for his two clean sheets since coming into Mikel Arteta’s Premier League side, but Gabriel Magalhaes is another common factor in the two victories.

After picking up an injury over the summer, Gabriel had to wait until last weekend to play his first competitive senior game of the season.

They haven’t conceded a goal since he returned, earning 1-0 wins over Norwich City and Burnley.

Gabriel made 10 clearances against Burnley, as well as three tackles, one last man tackle, and two shot blocks. All that whilst only making one foul, which I’d argue was a soft one the referee could have let go.

Mikel Arteta was certainly keen to credit the centre-back for his impressive performance.

“We know that he’s a player with an incredible future and is already giving us a lot,” Arteta said. “He has adapted really well to the league. That’s why we signed him.

“He is stepping in, his language is much better and he can coach and communicate much better with his teammates.

“He understands what we want and I don’t think it gets much harder than playing here in the Premier League. He was terrific today.”

Gabriel, Ramsdale, and the rest of the Arsenal backline face a much sterner test against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend. We can’t really draw conclusions about their current level until after that game. But the early signs are good.

The Brazilian centre-back was always going to need a bit of easing back in, and so far that process has gone exactly to plan.