Arsenal struck gold on £27m signing who's now worth more than Caicedo

Arsenal struck gold on £27m signing who’s now worth more than Caicedo

Crisis, what crisis? Just a month ago, the narrative around Arsenal was unforgiving.

Mikel Arteta’s side had lost three games on the spin – albeit only two were in the Premier League – and, as such, had been essentially thrown out of any talk regarding the title race.

However, four wins on the bounce later, including a demolition job on fellow challengers Liverpool and a record-breaking Premier League away win over West Ham United and the Gunners are back on the hunt for domestic dominance.

The North Londoners’ frontline have finally started scoring again, but there is another first-teamer who deserves just as much – if not more – praise, a player who has seen his value soar past Premier League record-breaker Moises Caicedo in recent months.

Arteta signing has become elite level

The player in question has become one of the most important players in Arteta’s squad over the last couple of years and has formed one of the best defensive partnerships in the country alongside William Saliba, the indomitable Gabriel Magalhães.

The Brazilian began his senior career with Florianopolis-based side Avai Futebol Clube in 2016 before earning a move to Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille a year later in 2017.

Once in France, the Sao Paulo-born titan would spend a short time with the second team before spending an even shorter period on loan to Troyes and Dinamo Zagreb between 2017 and 2018, making just four appearances for the former side and one for the latter.

Gabriel’s pre-Arsenal Career

Club

Appearances

Avai

25

LOSC Lille

52

Dinamo Zagreb (Loan)

1

FC Toyes (Loan)

4

All Stats via Transfermarkt

However, the 6 foot 3 defender would finally break into Les Dogues’ first team in the 2018/19 season, making 14 Ligue 1 appearances before making 24 the following campaign, helping the side finish second in the league.

Described as a “real fighter” with an “immense physical presence” by former Lille president Gerard Lopez in 2020, the young centre-back’s impressive performances caught the eye of the Gunners that same year, and after a relatively straightforward negotiation, he was on his way to north London, with £27m going in the other direction.

Gabriel’s transfer valuation in 2024

The 26-year-old may have taken some time to bed in at Lille, but with Arsenal primed for a total rebuild under Arteta, Gabriel came straight into the first team, and aside from a few games here and there, he has been a regular starter ever since.

He made 32 appearances in his first season with the club, 38 in the second, 48 in the third, and he has already made 32 this year.

Gabriel’s Arsenal Career

Season

Appearances

Goals

Assists

2020/21

32

3

1

2021/22

38

5

0

2022/23

48

3

0

2023/24

32 (so far)

4

1

All Stats via Transfermarkt

While his centre-back partner, Saliba, grabs more headlines in part thanks to his unbelievable debut campaign last season and the smooth, calm way he defends, Gabriel has proven to be just as crucial to the team as the Frenchman.

Not only has he been a vital member of the best defence in the league this year, but he has also become a regular source of important goals for the team, with his 14 goals making him the highest-scoring defender in the league since his arrival in September 2020.

This tenacity at the back, combined with his ability to score goals, has seen his value skyrocket in the three and a half years he’s been a Gooner, with the CIES Football Observatory now valuing the “rock”, as he was described by former teammate Rob Holding, at around €80m, or about £68m, which is £41m more than Arsenal paid for him.

That valuation is also €20m, or £17m more than the CIES Football Observatory’s valuation of Chelsea’s new boy Moises Caicedo, as they value the Ecuadorian at just €60m, which is about £51m.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion gem was signed for a Premier League record £115m last summer, meaning that his poor form in west London has seen his price tag fall by more than 50%.

While valuations always tend to be lower than the prices teams end up paying, it still shows that where the Blues have lost a lot of money on a defensively-minded South American, the Gunners have potentially made money.

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He left the Emirates Stadium seven years ago.

Ultimately, Gabriel has been an unequivocal hit in London and is evidence that teams do not need to smash records to sign truly elite defenders in today’s market.