After putting pen to paper on a new contract with us, Gabriel has spoken about his pride of being one of our longest-serving players.
Having joined the club in 2020, our Brazilian centre-back became one of the first names on the teamsheet, and over the past three seasons has formed a formidable partnership with William Saliba in defence, helping us to challenge for the title in each of those campaigns as well as establish ourselves as a major force in the Champions League.
Now with over 200 Gunners appearances behind him and hopefully many more to come, Gabi is determined that the next few years will be even more enjoyable and successful than his time in N5 so far.
“It's an amazing club and I'm so proud to sign a new contract,” he said. “I love this club, I love the fans, my teammates, I love this stadium - I'm so proud and thank you for all the support.
“I arrived here as a young player, and [now it’s] almost five years at this club. I'm so happy, and I've learned a lot here. I'm so proud of myself, and as well, to have worn the captain’s armband sometimes in this club.
“I think it's an amazing journey, and I'm so happy to continue this journey. I hope I win some trophies with this club, because I love this club, my family loves it.
“We've done a lot of good things, and now it's time to win some trophies. I want to say thank you for everything. I love the fans, and I love how they push the team. I think they are so incredible to keep pushing us every single game. We continue together for the future.”
Asked about the injury that kept him out of the side towards the end of the season, Gabriel added: “I’m doing very well - it's a bit difficult for me, but I know it's time to recharge. I feel much, much better now, and I'm so excited for next season.”
We ended the 2024/25 campaign with the best defensive record in the Premier League for the second season in a row, helping David Raya to become our first-ever goalkeeper to earn back-to-back Golden Gloves.
“It's very, very important, because we work a lot together,” Gabriel explained. “It's not only me, only David, or only Willy [Saliba], it's everyone - I'm so happy to be part of this.”
Read more The lessons Gabriel learnt on his way to the top
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