Gabriel Magalhaes has taken Arsenal’s iconic No.6 shirt after completing his £27 million move from Lille.
The Brazilian centre-back becomes Mikel Arteta’s second signing of the summer after Willian completed his free transfer from Chelsea last month.
Arteta was keen to bolster his defensive options and the 22-year-old could now form a new partnership alongside William Saliba at the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
And Arsenal clearly view Gabriel as a player who will become a cornerstone of their defence for years to come by handing him the No.6 jersey.
Arsenal’s No.6 shirt has been vacant since former captain Laurent Koscielny forced through his exit last year and was also worn by arguably their greatest-ever skipper, Tony Adams, for 17 years.
‘We welcome Gabriel to Arsenal,’ Arteta said after Gabriel’s transfer was officially announced on Tuesday.
‘He has many qualities which will make us stronger as a defensive unit and as a team.
‘He has proved with Lille that he is a defender with many outstanding attributes and we are looking forward to watching him grow as an Arsenal player.’
Arsenal’s technical director Edu added: ‘We are delighted to have signed Gabriel.
‘He is a player we have been studying for a while and he was in demand from many clubs, so we are proud to have agreed and completed this transfer with Lille and the player.
‘Gabriel is a player of high quality and Mikel and his coaches are looking forward to integrating him into the club.’
