Gabriel Magalhaes has firmly established himself as one of the best defenders in the world, but how does Arsenal’s record compare with and without the Brazilian?
Since arriving from Lille in the summer of 2020, he’s only missed 22 league matches out of a possible 182, which illustrates his importance to Mikel Arteta’s side.
Alongside William Saliba, Arsenal boast one of the best defensive partnerships in the Premier League and their defensive record reflects that.
Last season, the Gunners only conceded 29 league goals which was the best defensive record of any Premier League side. Across Europe’s top five leagues, only Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen conceded fewer goals than Arteta’s side last season.
Along with being one of the best defenders in the business, Gabriel is also a huge goal threat from set-piece situations.
Indeed, since making his Premier League debut, no defender has scored more league goals than Arsenal’s Brazilian centre-half.
He’s bagged a total of 17 Premier League goals up until this point and has outscored the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold since making his debut.
Earlier this season, Arteta was showering Gabriel with praise as he explained how the 26-year-old has taken his game to a new level of late.
“The way he was perceived when he arrived, obviously the language was a barrier…he didn’t have the environment, he didn’t have the family that he’s got today. He’s made a lot of right decisions,” Arteta told reporters in September.
“He’s proved to everybody how committed he is to the team and to the club. Then obviously his performances are undeniable, that have taken him to a different level, in terms of the standards we set in the team, especially in the way that we have to defend.”
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Given his importance to Arsenal, Gunners fans won’t have enjoyed watching him come off injured in their recent game against Fulham with a hamstring injury.
“Gabi felt something in his hamstring. We don’t know how big that is,” Arteta told reporters after the game.
As the Brazilian could be set for a period on the sidelines, we’ve crunched the numbers and have compared Arsenal’s Premier League record with and without Gabriel since his arrival at the club.
Arsenal’s Premier League record with Gabriel
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**Games:** 160
**Won:** 102
**Drawn:** 25
**Lost:** 33
**Win percentage:** 63.7%
**Loss percentage:** 20.6%
Arsenal’s Premier League record without Gabriel
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**Games:** 22
**Won:** 9
**Drawn:** 6
**Lost:** 7
**Win percentage:** 40.9%
**Loss percentage:** 31.8%