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The one key area where Arsenal outsmarted Manchester United with Gabriel’s transfer

Gabriel Magalhaes has not yet entered the Emirates Stadium.

The 22-year-old is expected to be announced very soon as an Arsenal player after completing medical examinations prior to a £ 25m transfer from Ligue 1, Lille.

However, the arrival of the left central defender could soon be compared to a very similar player in terms of profile. Manchester United, who were also initially keen on the Brazilian, have been forced to look elsewhere and a £ 22m offer for Benoit Badiashile has reportedly been turned down as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side also tries to find a left central defender ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

The comparisons don’t stop there, though, with both defenders boasting Ligue 1 experience from a young age.

Gabriel, 22, is three years older than 19-year-old Badiashile, but both defenders have only recorded significant minutes in Ligue 1 since the start of the 2018/19 season. Such a sample of time in the field can then tell us more about potential purchases and perhaps suggest who is getting the best deal.

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So how do they compare based on the numbers since the start of the 2018/19 campaign?

While we will move on to more technical and progressive attributes later on, it’s worth starting with a defensive output. Defending in a possession-based team often requires several strengths which will be explained below with regards to defensive metrics.

In terms of defensive skills, both defenders rank more or less identically in the 55 games they played respectively.

Badiashile marginally records more interceptions every 90 minutes a 5.45 with Gabriel tucking in 5.27 but the next Arsenal defender performs better in terms of the percentage of aerial duels won a 67.49% compared to 64.29% .

What those air numbers, in particular, show is that both defenders possess a strong presence in the air. This proves important for teams looking to assert their dominance over the game and prevent any vulnerabilities to a long ball towards their defensive line.

Given both Arsenal and United’s ambitions to become Premier League contenders again, defensive safety will likely be the key to securing this. Based on their respective Ligue 1 appearances, Gabriel and Badiashile present good defensive options for further development in the coming seasons.

From a statistical point of view, Gabriel proves superior to Badiashile when looking at his influence when in possession. The 22-year-old’s experience of playing from behind in a progressive and technical way will be one of the main reasons Mikel Arteta is so excited to work with the Brazilian.

His 8.43 passes to the final third for 90 minutes is significantly taller than Badiashile 6.63 but it is also important to note that the Brazilian produces 10.11 progressive passages for 90 minutes. A progressive pass – by definition – is usually recorded when a player passes the ball at least 30 meters closer to the opponent’s goal when starting from their own half.

As a result of Gabriel’s positioning high in that metric, we can conclude that he regularly seeks out his teammates higher on the pitch and, therefore, advances the ball more than the average center-back.

Despite Badiashile ( 74.17% ) ranking better than Gabriel ( 66.01% ) in terms of the accuracy of passing through to the final third, the added element of Arsenal’s offensive options could help Gabriel improve his overall success in finding players later on.

In truth, there is little to separate the two center-backs who appear to be headed for Emirates Stadium and Old Trafford respectively.



Goal transfer Arsenal Gabriel Magalhaes.

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They have played an identical number of games, have similar defensive results and appear to have similar ceilings in terms of overall development opportunities.

Where Arsenal can feel they have a better deal is in Gabriel’s ability to move the ball forward at a more frequent pace and this, in Arteta’s mind, will be something he wishes to implement in his system.

Statistics via Wyscout

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