Arsenal has completed the £25 million ($33 million) transfer of Brazil international Gabriel Magalhaes from Ligue 1 side Lille. The much-awaited move became a reality on Tuesday and the Premier League contender celebrated his signing upon meeting with his Brazilian teammates David Luiz and the newly-acquired Willian.
The two aforementioned joined Gabriel, as his official move was announced over Twitter:
📞 This is Arsenal calling!
📺 Join us for a very special video call…
🇧🇷 @DavidLuiz_4
🇧🇷 @WillianBorges88
🇧🇷 ❓ pic.twitter.com/O3WcU7SeN7— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 1, 2020
Gabriel Magalhaes is signing a five-year deal with Arsenal, a deal that gives manager Mikel Arteta his second grab of the transfer window after netting Willian on a free transfer from Chelsea.
Arsenal sporting director Edu had glowing words about the center back:
Via Goal:
“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 Magalhaes is equally excited about his welcome, joining some fellow Brazilians and having a comfort zone upon moving from one league to another.
“[Edu and I] had several chats about Arsenal and the new project, we had many good conversations,” said Gabriel. “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.”
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