Arsenal hero Paul Merson has warned his former club that potentially selling star centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes would be 'two steps back'.
The Brazillian U23 international has been attracting interest from Italian giants Juventus throughout the summer but Merson believes that The Old Lady are simply not the club that it used to be.
He has however reassured the Arsenal fanbase that they shouldn't be worried about the whole situation and believes that the 24-year-old will be in north London next season.
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“Arsenal fans don’t need to worry about Gabriel even though Juventus showed interest in him this summer," he said.
"I think he will stay at the club. I mean he plays every week. It’s not like he’s not playing. I don’t think he’d leave to join Juventus.
"Him and Ben White look very very solid together and Mikel Arteta clearly rates him very highly. He’s been their first choice for a while now. Juventus are not the Juventus of old either, are they? Years ago, if a team like them came running, you’d go.
"They were up there with Real Madrid and Barcelona. I don’t really think that’s the case at Juventus anymore. Even Mathijs De Ligt is leaving them. I’d be shocked if Gabriel left. I don’t think Arsenal fans should worry that his head will get turned.
"I can see why Juventus want him. He’s a good player. I thought he had a good season last season. But it would be one step forwards and two steps back if Arsenal let him go. I can’t see it happening. They have always had trouble finding top-quality defenders. They’ve found one in Gabriel. Don’t lose him now."
Certainly both Gabriel and White formed an excellent partnership at the heart of the Arsenal defence during the previous campaign.
Both are tailored to the modern game, comfortable in a high line and possess desirable qualities both with and without the ball. One of the major issues evident last season however was that the options in reserve simply didn't offer the same level of quality and it was noticeable when either was missing in the starting eleven.
But with William Saliba being integrated into the squad and showcasing his talent in pre-season, Arteta will have three young and excellent options to choose from, as his side aims to secure a Champions League finish once the new Premier League campaign begins.
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