Edu deserves credit for his excellent business to sign Gabriel Magalhaes despite fans calling for the signature of Dayot Upemacano who has struggled since joining Bayern Munich for £37 million.
The Gunners were heavily linked with the French defender during his time at RB Leipzig but Edu decided against a move.
Instead, he completed the £23 million signing of Gabriel from Ligue 1 side Lille which was Mikel Arteta’s first summer addition, and it has arguably been one of Arsenal's best bits of business in recent years.
His signing is even more welcomed when you take into consideration the consistent mistakes Upamecano has been making in the Bayern Munich backline since joining the German side in 2020.
Bayern’s surprising 4-2 defeat at the hands of VFL Bochum on Saturday afternoon was largely due to the lack of concentration from Upamecano.
This poor performance comes 48 hours after Gabriel’s Arsenal heroics against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which puts into light the difference in quality and maturity between the two players.
Gabriel was essential to the Gunners’ victory as the defender scored the opening goal and played a huge part in securing a clean sheet, which led to him being awarded Man of the Match.
The Brazilian is certainly the leader amongst the defence and is always seen orchestrating the backline whenever it is time to defend an opposition set-piece.
His influence since coming into the club has been clear and when he isn’t playing, Arsenal’s chances of securing a win or a clean sheet decline by a huge margin.
It is certainly a transfer that Edu deserves credit for, as the easier option would have been to sign Upamecano considering a big spotlight was on the Frenchman at the time and Gabriel fell under the radar in France.
However, the £23 million transfer of the Brazilian who has arguably been Arteta’s most important player this season is proving to be an absolute steal. If the top four is achieved, it will partly be thanks to his defensive heroics.
Gabriel and recent summer signing Ben White are developing an excellent partnership at the heart of the defence, and the two players have created a foundation for Arteta’s rebuilding process that further proves Edu is getting his recruitment policy spot on.
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