Gabriel Magalhaes sums up Arsenal teammate William Saliba with one word

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes has now given his verdict on teammate William Saliba.

Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have developed a rock-solid partnership in the heart of the Arsenal defence. 

Since Saliba made his debut for the north London club at the start of last season, he and Gabriel have been the established first-choice centre-back duo at the Emirates Stadium.

As a pairing they represent an immensely imposing physical challenge for opposition attackers to contend with. They are both fast, strong, and dominant in the air. They also excel on the ball and are regularly relied upon to get Arsenal up the pitch with line-splitting passes that pick out the likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka in front of the opposition defence. 

Arsenal have a strong defensive record in the Premier League this season, thanks in large part to the efforts of Gabriel and Saliba. With 16 matches played, Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded just fifteen times, giving them the joint-best record in the division, with current league leaders Liverpool. 

Gabriel has now described his centre-back partner in one word. Speaking to the club’s in-house media, the Brazilian said that Saliba is simply the “best.”

The 25-year-old is not the only one to rate his teammate so highly. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes that Saliba is the best centre-back in the Premier League. 

Arsenal hugely reliant on William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes

In terms of Arsenal’s hopes of mounting a successful title challenge this season, it is vital that both Gabriel and Saliba remain fit and in form. Losing the Frenchman to injury towards the end of last season played a big role in the Gunners’ title push derailing.

Whilst Arteta will be unlikely to have any plans of shaking up his pecking order in term of centre-backs, his squad does lack strength in depth in that part of the pitch, with both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber both currently sidelined with injury. In order to avoid the pain of last season, signing a defender must be a priority for Arsenal in the upcoming January transfer window. 

Whatever happens in the market, though, Saliba and Gabriel will continue on as Arsenal’s default centre-back pairing, and given their relative ages and the fact that they are both likely to keeping improving, fans of the club will want to see them stick together for years to come.