It was no secret that Arsenal were interested in Newcastle United pair Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak in the summer.
Unfortunately for Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar, both were ultimately off limits for Arsenal, who eventually decided against a superstar signing, for now.
Guimaraes was too expensive for Arsenal, who decided not to activate his release clause in the summer.
On his part, Alexander Isak has stated his loyalty to Newcastle recently, and only time will tell if he eventually changes his tune.
Either way, both are still crucial for Newcastle right now, players who inspired a recent 1-0 win over the Gunners at St James’ Park.
Bruno Guimaraes says Arsenal centre-back Gabriel scores ‘a lot’ of goals
That being said, Guimaraes is currently away with two Arsenal stars whilst playing for Brazil over the international break.
Both Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli are on Brazil duty right now, two of Arteta’s crucial performers.
And in a recent interview with Globo Esporte, Guimaraes chose to praise defender Gabriel in particular, hailing how effective he’s been from set-pieces this season.
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The Brazilian was specifically speaking about dead-ball situations with the national team, but took a moment to praise his Premier League rival.
Guimaraes said: “I believe we have great free kicks and we can improve on free kicks and corners with players who can attack the ball, like Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes, who is Arsenal’s main header and scores a lot of headers.
“We have been training a lot, it’s something that you can do when you’re not at your best in a match and win a set piece.
“And we happened to play better and concede a draw from a set piece. It’s something that defines a game, it’s very important and the Premier League does it a lot. I train set pieces practically every day.”
How has Gabriel performed for Brazil?
Gabriel cost Arsenal £27m in 2020, and it’s hard to argue against the idea that the Brazilian has proved to be an absolute bargain.
The Arsenal defender has already scored two headed goals so far this season – he’s on course to beat his 2023/24 tally of four in the Premier League.
And for those interested, the Premier League record stands at 10, a record broken by Harry Kane a couple of seasons ago.
Gabriel has a long way to go in that remark, but he will surely hope to beat his own record tally at least.
A superb defender who is clearly demanding a lot of attention from Arsenal’s opposition.
That being said, Gabriel impressed for Brazil against Venezuela recently, a player who’s already had both highs and lows with his country.
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