Gabriel Magalhaes Confesses to Rejecting Saudi Transfer Offer
To say the least, it was strange when Mikel Arteta benched Gabriel Magalhaes for the first three games of the season. Even more so after the management said the choice was made for tactical reasons.
Reported at the time, Saudi Arabian teams were interested in the defender, who was almost a constant for the Gunners the previous season, and it seemed that the money on offer had turned his head.
The defender was reinstated back to the starting lineup after Arsenal rejected any offers and the transfer window closed. His remarkable partnership with William Saliba has been renewed as he has missed just one league game since then.
Gabriel has finally acknowledged—after previously hinting at it—that his mental stumbles over the first few games of the season led to his dismissal.
It was difficult at first, of course. Gabriel told the Press Association, “I wanted to play and it was very difficult for me, but I understood what the coach had to do.”
“It is challenging for any player to be left off the team, but now that I’m back, I want to keep putting in the effort to show my value.
“Arteta spoke with me and gave a clear explanation of the decision’s reasoning. He understood my importance to the club, which is why I should stay. I’m glad to be back and to be able to support the squad in every game. However, the most important thing was to stay focused and concentrate.
“I’m glad to be back on the team, and I hope I can continue to support them.”
Gabriel has grown since joining Arsenal from Lille in 2020, and Arteta was all praise for him at yesterday’s press conference.
“A lot of things have happened to him,” Arteta remarked.
His position on the team has expanded. His personal life has also changed significantly from what it was a few years ago in terms of his family and language.
“I also believe that he made the right decision in choosing the path he did, having changed a lot in his life and improving his mindset to be able to decide what he wants to be.”
It seems that he required some direction during the process. Gabriel said, “A little bit of both,” when Arteta questioned if he had made all those decisions on his own or if he had needed some encouragement.
The Brazil international was retained by Arsenal, which is undoubtedly to their advantage. His outstanding performance this month has earned him a nomination for the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for January.