Yahoo Sport 
Gabriel: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hails ‘outstanding’ £27m signing
Mikel Arteta hailed Gabriel Magalhaes as an “outstanding” talent and believes the £27m signing will make Arsenal a “stronger defensive unit”.
Despite Arsenal already boasting six first-team centre-backs, with William Saliba returning from a season-long loan at St Etienne, Arteta and technical director Edu worked tirelessly to convince the 22-year-old Brazilian over a move to north London.
Magalhaes had been pursued by both Everton and Napoli, while Manchester United had also been in contact with his agents, but he has now committed his future to Arsenal on a five-year deal.
Upon confirmation of the deal, Mikel Arteta said: “We welcome Gabriel to Arsenal. He has many qualities which will make us stronger as a defensive unit and as a team.
“He has proved with Lille that he is a defender with many outstanding attributes and we are looking forward to watching him grow as an Arsenal player.”
Magalhaes was a key figure in Lille’s side last season, playing in all their Champions League games, and will now reunite with former teammate Nicolas Pepe. His signing was revealed in a video call with compatriots David Luiz and Willian.
During the announcement, Gabriel also revealed how Edu and Arteta had convinced him that Arsenal was the best option for his development.
“[Edu and I] had several chats about Arsenal and the new project, we had many good conversations,” he said. “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.”
