Report: Arsenal have now decided to reward their ‘terrific’ defender with a brand new contract

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According to CBS Sports, Arsenal are keen to reward Gabriel Magalhaes with a brand new contract after two very impressive years at the Emirates.

The Brazilian joined the Gunners from Lille for £23 million in the summer of 2020 (BBC). He was rushed in to start against Fulham on the opening day of the season and he hit the ground running.

Gabriel was Arsenal’s best defender last season and although there’s a lot of competition this time thanks to Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney, the Brazilian isn’t far from the top.

Arsenal have been impressed by Gabriel’s performances and they are considering a new deal for him.

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Arsenal set to reward Gabriel Magalhaes with a new contract

When Gabriel moved from Lille to Arsenal at the start of last season, the centre-half signed a five-year contract.

His deal doesn’t run out until the summer of 2025, but Arsenal are absolutely right to reward him as he has been incredible for them over the last 18 months.

The report claims that a new contract has already been discussed at board level behind the scenes and it’s only a matter of time before Gabriel will be offered the deal.

The 24-year-old, branded as ‘terrific’ by Mikel Arteta, currently earns £50,000-a-week in the Emirates.

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Saka and Martinelli deserve new deals too

Gabriel definitely deserves a new deal and Arsenal are right to think of offering him one at some point in the near future.

However, there are more pressing matters at hand for Arteta and Edu as a number of top clubs are keeping a close eye on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Both players’ current deals will expire in 2024 but Arsenal have an option to extend Martinelli’s contract by another year. They don’t have that luxury with Saka, which makes a new deal for him all the more important.

The young Englishman will have just two years left on his deal this summer. If Arsenal don’t get him to put pen to paper, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City will all come in for him, which would be terrible for the Gunners.

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