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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta adamant Gabriel is unsellable

Despite benching Gabriel Magalhaes in both opening Premier League matches this season, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insists the Brazilian is not for sale.

Gabriel started on the bench as the Gunners claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Monday, joining the fray after Takehiro Tomiyasu was red-carded midway through the second half.

Martin Odegaard opened the scoring from the spot eight minutes after the break, but the Japanese defender’s expulsion made things complicated for the visitors.

The 25-year-old’s introduction helped Arsenal weather a late storm at Selhurst Park and maintain a flawless start to the new league campaign after a 2-1 home victory over Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend.

Arteta spoke to the press in the aftermath, looking to address Gabriel’s future at the Emirates Stadium amid growing speculation about enquiries from Real Madrid and Saudi Arabia.

“Nothing at all – it’s about the games we were expecting,” Arteta said, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “How I wanted to defend and attack.

“I believe it was the best thing – he played in both games and helped us win both games. He was really good today when he came on – he was dominant and will play a lot of games.”

Following a nasty knee injury sustained by Eder Militao against Athletic Bilbao on the opening La Liga weekend, Madrid have joined Al-Ittihad in the race to sign Gabriel.

Carlo Ancelotti must find a sustainable replacement for his first-choice centre-back, who may have suffered a season-ending injury, leaving his boss strapped for options at the back.

However, Arsenal won’t listen to offers for Gabriel, whose contract runs out in 2027, even though he has tumbled down the pecking order at the start of the new season.

The former Lille defender was an omnipresent figure in Arteta’s backline in the last three campaigns, mustering 96 appearances in the Premier League alone before adding two more to the tally this term.

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