**Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been effusive in his praise of Gabriel.**
Speaking about the Brazilian’s capabilities, Arteta said the player has developed into one of the best in the world:
“If you ask me what I want from my centre-back, I want somebody who dominates both boxes and masters that. Gabriel can do that. He defends like a world-class defender, and he attacks like a world-class attacker.”
“When you look at his presence, the way he leads the team, the way he talks to people, his body language, there’s a lot to like. It’s no coincidence that he has evolved into one of the best centre-backs in the world.”
Arteta might be overstating things ever so slightly
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Gabriel is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in world football, and that is demonstrated by the fact that the Gunners have conceded just 3 goals in all competitions so far this campaign (before the [**Crystal Palace fixture**](https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-predicted-xi-vs-crystal-palace-trossard-lewis-skelly-eze/)), with only one coming from open play.
However, to claim he is a “world-class attacker” is stretching things a bit. He has been involved in 29 goals across his 222 appearances for the club. That is not a bad return for a centre-back but you wouldn’t say it’s anything special either.
Gabriel has started every league match for Arsenal this season
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The 27-year-old was a doubt heading into Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace, having picked up a knock versus Atletico Madrid in the Champions League midweek.
However, Gabriel was named in the starting lineup for the fixture. It means that the centre-half has been ever-present in the Premier League. He has actually featured in every match so far this campaign, having only failed to make the first eleven for the 2-0 win over Port Vale in the Carabao Cup third round tie last month.
[**Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-first-team-squad/)