“Since the first day I came here”

Arsenal defender William Saliba has named his defensive partner Gabriel Magalhaes as his favorite teammate. The Frenchman has said that he shares a very good bond with Gabriel both on and off the pitch.

Saliba and Gabriel have been the first-choice defensive partnership under Mikel Arteta since the former returned from his loan spell with Marseille. Saliba was asked regarding his relationship with Gabriel in a recent interview by TNT Sports (via TBR Football):

“I want to focus on your relationship with Gabriel, it feels like you two are best friends. Your dynamic is very strong, is he your favorite player to play alongside?”

The France international replied:

“For sure, since the first day I came here we played a lot of games together. We know each other well, he knows what I’m good at, I know what he’s good at. We work well together and we are friends outside the pitch as well.”

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have so far played 115 times together for Arsenal. The Gunners have won 75 of those games while losing 22 and drawing 18 having only conceded 112 times.

Saliba is often regarded as one of the best central defenders in world football while Gabriel Magalhaes is somewhat underrated. Together, they have been excellent for Arsenal over the years, and they complement each other really well.

Darren Bent urges Andrea Berta to sell Arsenal star upon taking charge

Former Premier League striker Darren Bent has urged Arsenal’s new sporting director Andrea Berta to offload Gabriel Jesus. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker has claimed that the Gunners need to sign a new number nine to replace Jesus.

Andrea Berta has joined the Gunners as their new sporting director after Edu Gasper left in Noveember 2024. Prior to his appointment at the Emirates, Berta was in charge of Atletico Madrid for 12 years where he worked wonders.

While discussing how the Gunners should revamp their attack, Bent said, as quoted by TBR Football:

“Gabriel Jesus. He’s got to go. Havertz stays. I think he will be the first to go, Gabriel Jesus. Because when I think of the left side, Trossard and Martinelli. Keep Trossard off the bench, but not as a starter; he plays too many minutes. You’ve got Trossard and Martinelli on the left.”

The former Sunderland and Aston Villa forward added:

“Centre-forward, you’ve got Havertz at the minute and Gabriel Jesus. Gabriel Jesus can go. On the right, you’ve got Saka and Nwaneri. It’s that centre-forward role, I think…”

Gabriel Jesus joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 for a reported fee of £45 million. However, he has only scored 26 goals in 95 games for the Gunners till date while providing 17 assists.