Arsenal have finally managed to officially announce the signing of centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes from Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille.
The official statement read: “Central defender Gabriel has joined us from French side Lille on a long-term contract. The 22-year-old Brazilian has completed his move and will wear our number 6 shirt.”
The defender was wanted by other big European clubs namely Manchester United but the Brazilian U23 international chose to join snub all other interest and join the North London side instead.
And Gabriel Magalhaes in an interview to Arsenal has revealed that having one on one conversations with Edu and Mikel Arteta helped him come to a concrete decision.
“[Edu and I] had several chats about Arsenal and the new project, we had many good conversations,” Gabriel told Arsenal Digital.
“As the days went by I was getting very excited about it, then I had a call from the coach and that was very reassuring. Having the coach himself calling you to say he wants you in his squad motivates you a lot. That is the very reason I am here today.
“We did not talk about [details], he just told me he is aware of my quality, my capacity and how far I can go. He also said he will be very demanding with me. I know he is a great coach and I will make progress with his help.”
Apart from the two influential Arsenal men, Gabriel Magalhaes has admitted that the fans also helped sway his mind.
“So many fans were sending me messages asking me to join Arsenal, and that played a big part in me signing for this club,” Gabriel told in the same interview.
“I know the history and traditions of this club and it is a pleasure being here. I am very happy and hope I can contribute to many titles with the Arsenal shirt.
“It was a very surreal experience, there were offers coming from a few different clubs.”
