Wenger struck gold on Arsenal defender who scored greater than Gabriel

It is secure to say that Arsenal‘s defence has come a good distance beneath the stewardship of Mikel Arteta.

Flash again to the darkish days of Arsene Wenger’s previous few years with the Gunners and you may sadly bear in mind some error-stricken defenders who weren’t as much as the duty.

The likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Sebastian Squillaci and David Luiz aren’t remembered too fondly by supporters on the Emirates Stadium and rightfully so.

Mustafi was maybe the worst of the lot with a few of his errors within the 2019/20 season stopping Unai Emery’s males from sealing Champions League soccer.

Fortunately, gamers like which are no extra. Arteta now has one of many best defences in European soccer at his disposal with the likes of Gabriel and William Saliba two colossal figures on the again.

Final time period, Arsenal shipped simply 29 targets of their 38 league video games; the perfect document in all the division.

Whereas Saliba is the Rolls-Royce of the duo, Gabriel brings a bit extra aggression and a pair extra horsepower. He is like the fashionable Vary Rover. A person for all events, for all weathers.

Gabriel’s season in numbers up to now

The Brazilian, signed for £27m from Lille again in 2020, has confirmed to be one of many perfect signings of the Arteta period up to now.

He’s a person mountain and has already scored 4 targets from set-piece eventualities this time period. His newest two got here through the membership’s final couple of matches, powering residence a header on the again put up towards Sporting in midweek earlier than scoring a extra deft header on the close to put up when Arsenal thumped West Ham 5-2 on Saturday.

Gabriel, though withdrawn at half-time, was one of many stars of the present as he so typically is and he is lastly stepped out of Saliba’s shadow.

He’s maybe the perfect defender within the Premier League, definitely relating to the offensive phases of play.

So, why is he so good? Effectively, it helps that the Gunners are the perfect corner-takers within the land.

Gabriel’s headed purpose towards the Hammers this weekend turned out to be Arsenal’s twentieth from a nook within the league because the starting of final season. For context, no crew have scored extra from such conditions over that point. Moreover, Gabriel’s haul of 5 targets from corners are greater than some other Premier League defender throughout the identical timeframe.

If you’d like much more numbers to marvel at, because the Brazilian arrived in England in 2020, no centre-back has scored extra in Europe’s high 5 leagues than the 26-year-old’s 17.

He is fairly rattling good, is not he? Effectively, what if there was a defender with much more targets for Arsenal? Sure, that participant does exist.

The one Arsenal defender with extra targets than Gabriel

Again in July 2010, Arsene Wenger used the membership’s chequebook to signal a Frenchman. Shock, shock.

On this event, nevertheless, it was not a participant of Thierry Henry’s calibre, nor was it a participant of the calibre of a sure Robert Pires.

As a substitute, it was a defender. Laurent Koscielny penned phrases after transferring from Ligue 1 facet Lorient for a payment of simply £8.5m. Because it turned out, that was one of many largest bargains the good Wenger secured throughout his time in north London.

Why? Effectively, it wasn’t simply Koscielny’s longevity that stood out however his management and his skill to attain some fairly vital targets shone by way of, simply because it has with Gabriel in Arsenal colors.

For a second, we need to put apart the controversial approach by which the centre-back ultimately left. Membership captain, he was introduced as a Bordeaux participant by ripping off an Arsenal shirt. It was weird, proper?

However anyway, the France worldwide ought to be remembered for what he really dropped at the pitch throughout a time when Wenger’s facet have been removed from superb defensively.

He ultimately left the membership with a whopping 353 appearances in all competitions and within the phrases of Rio Ferdinand in 2015, he was the easiest the English top-flight needed to provide at the moment.

“Laurent Koscielny, when he is on kind, he is the perfect defender within the league for me. He is a kind of you do not need to play towards – he is fast, he is aggressive,”

Effective reward certainly from a defender who wasn’t a foul participant throughout his pomp both. So, the place does the now 39-year-old rank amongst Arsenal defenders? Proper up there.

As you may see, Koscielny occurs to be the highest-scoring defender in Premier League historical past for Arsenal.

Sure, the dominant Gabriel is presently discovering the web with larger regularity but it surely can’t be understated simply how good the previous Lorient star was throughout his time on the Emirates.

He scored a thumping purpose away at Manchester Metropolis, the winner in a comeback victory towards Everton and maybe most memorably, scored the equalising purpose within the FA Cup last towards Hull Metropolis.

All in all, it is secure to say that was £8.5m properly spent, do not you assume?