Arsenal Set To Complete Gabriel Magalhaes Transfer After Mikel Arteta Stunned Defender

Arsenal are set to win the race for in-demand defender Gabriel Magalhaes with Mikel Arteta playing a key role.

Magalhaes was reportedly in contact with Manchester United but never held concrete talks with the Red Devils.

Instead, his decision came down to a choice between the Gunners and Napoli after both clubs had offers accepted for the Lille centre-back.

The Times have reported that Magalhaes has completed his medical with Arsenal and is poised to sign a five-year deal at the Emirates in a deal worth up to £27million.

And reports in Italy claim Napoli have resigned themselves to losing out to Arsenal in the race.

Corriere dello Sport claim Arsenal have maintained ‘constant contact’ with Magalhaes in recent weeks to convince him to head to the Premier League.

Lille president Gerard Lopez this week confirmed Magalhaes was making a decision between two clubs with Arsenal now appearing likely to get the nod.

Lopez told talkSPORT on Thursday: "That and a couple of more clubs. I think he's narrowed it down.

I think it's fair to say that Arsenal are a high interest to him, Napoli is a high interest to him.

We've given him plenty of time to make up his mind. We've always said, 'Look, if we have an agreement with two clubs or three clubs and the agreements are the same then we are not going to create a bidding competition', and that choice, I don't think I'm giving up too much if I tell you that that choice is probably today or tomorrow.

"I'm unable to tell you what that choice is. We've given him some recommendations but we don't like to talk about it in public because we don't want people to feel bad. We've talked about where he should go, but at the end of the day he and his environment make a choice and we support that.

Comments

'I Tried My Best' - Arsenal Boss Arteta Believes He Did All He Could To Include Axed Ozil

The 32-year-old did not feature for the Gunners after lockdown and was subsequently omitted from the club's 25-man Premier League squad. Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta believes he did all he could to give Mesut Ozil a fair shot before he axed the German from his squad. Ozil's name was not among Arsenal's 25-man Premier League squad that was released earlier this month, which followed the playmaker's exclusion from Arsenal's Europa League squad. As the 32-year-old enters the final months of his contract with the Gunners, it now appears likely that he has played his final game for the team. Ozil did play a part for Arsenal last season, at one point starting 10 consecutive Premier League games for the Gunners before the coronavirus lockdown in March. The playmaker did not make a single appearance for Arsenal after lockdown, however, but Arteta has still insisted he gave Ozil every chance to impress before he was omitted from his team. "What I can tell you that I...

Arteta Must Be Strong To Survive Allegri Rumours’ – Arsenal Boss Can’t Show Weakness, Says Smith

The former Gunners striker has urged an under-fire Spaniard to prove that he is the right man for the job and end links to an ex-Juventus coach Alan Smith claims it is “an open secret” that former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is being recommended to Arsenal amid their ongoing struggles, with Mikel Arteta told he is going to have to show no weakness in order to “survive” the rumours. The Gunners have continued to stumble out of the blocks in 2020-21, with their worst start made to a Premier League campaign. Inability to establish any kind of momentum has the north London outfit languishing in the bottom-half of the table and glancing anxiously over their shoulder at the drop zone below them. Unsurprisingly, questions are being asked of Arteta’s ongoing presence, with a rookie coach finding out the hard way just how tough life at the top can be. Arsenal have offered no indication that they are contemplating another managerial change, but Smith says potential successors – including ...

Arsenal's £72m Enigma: Arteta Right To Demand More From Mercurial Pepe

The Gunners' record signing may have scored his third goal of the season on Thursday night but his manager wants consistency across 90 minutes. Mikel Arteta’s answer was clear when asked what Nicolas Pepe needed to show in order to earn himself a regular starting spot in Arsenal's Premier League team. “Consistency,” said the Arsenal boss, when quizzed on the Gunners’ record signing, following Thursday’s night’s 4-1 Europa League win against Molde at the Emirates Stadium. It was a game that perfectly encapsulated the enigma that is Pepe. The £72 million ($95m) man was infuriating at times - especially in the first half - but just as he had done against Dundalk a week earlier, he popped up with an excellent goal. He also went on to add an assist for Joe Willock, a late strike which sealed a comfortable victory for Arteta’s side and all but booked Arsenal’s passage into the knockout stages. It was a classic Pepe performance and more evidence of why he remains such a puzzle in nort...

WELCOME TO GIST CORRIDOR

Search This Blog