Arsenal “colossus” is one of the best signings in PL history

They may have dropped points for the first time since late September on Saturday, but Arsenal remain top of the Premier League table heading into the international break.

Mikel Arteta’s side are four points clear of Manchester City in second place and have looked very exciting for much of the season, even with most of their strikers sidelined.

Furthermore, those who have maintained their fitness have progressed greatly so far and currently look like some of the best players in the country, if not Europe.

One of those stars is, of course, Declan Rice, but even the Englishman is outdone by another of Arsenal’s most important players, someone who could be one of the best ever signings of the Premier League era.

Rice’s development at Arsenal

When Arsenal paid a club record £105m on Rice in the summer of 2023, most fans expected him to come in and become the club’s first choice for the foreseeable future.

Although he played in other positions for West Ham United, he was primarily a defensive midfielder in East London.

Unsurprisingly, this is how Arteta has used the Englishman for most of the 23/24 season, making 31 appearances at the base of midfield, 19 in central areas and one at centre-back.

However, at the end of that season, the manager was playing his record signing higher up the pitch, and that trend continued the following season, with the 26-year-old becoming much more than a box-breaking left-winger.

For example, by the end of the season, he had made 37 appearances in central midfield and only 15 as a top six, and as a result, his production improved dramatically, scoring nine goals and providing ten assists.

The former Hammers captain looks set to continue playing more on the pitch this season, especially with Martin Zobimendi joining the club, but once again, for the third season in a row, his role has changed slightly.

The 70-cap Englander still starts matches in central midfield, but on top of advancing and crashing into the opposition penalty area, he drops back deep at times, specifically to create a double pivot with his new Spaniard team-mate.

That change is clearly visible during matches and on his heat maps, but he was also happy to tell the press during the recent international break that the coach had “adjusted my position at Arsenal a little bit this year to give me more freedom to drop deeper but also to get into the box when I can.”

Add in a tremendous dead-ball ability that has seen him register five assists to go along with two goals this season, and it’s easy to see why many consider Rice one of the best players in the league.

However, even with how well he has played this year, there is another Arsenal star who is performing better and could be hailed as one of the club’s best signings of the Premier League era.

Arsenal star who could be one of the best Premier League signings ever

The good news for Arsenal and Arteta fans is that many players in the current squad could fit that description.

However, when it comes to someone who has already taken another step this season, it is practically impossible to ignore Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Brazilian was previously seen as a liability at the back, so much so that he made just 32 appearances, totaling 2,807 minutes, in all competitions during his first season with the club.

However, he began to steadily improve after that initial campaign, and while he was rumored to be up for sale in the summer of 2023, he has been absolutely invaluable since then.

In fact, while William Saliba is viewed as the more cultured of the two centre-backs, and was constantly touted for a move to Real Madrid before his contract was renewed, the Brazilian has arguably been the better player over the past two years.

For example, he has rid his game almost entirely of the silly mistakes that damaged his reputation early on and has become a giant on defense.

Furthermore, while he is capable of making the nice passes that his French partner loves to play, he also has an old-school approach to the game.

It offers more than its fair share of perfectly timed but nonetheless resounding overarching challenges that keep fans on their feet.

Add to this the fact that he is 6ft 3, a strong leader and clearly someone who loves the art of defending, and it is easy to see why Arsenal writer Adam Keyes described him as the Gunners’ ‘giant’ at the back.

Now, the 27-year-old’s defensive contributions, which have played a vital role in keeping eight successive clean sheets, would be reason enough to classify him as one of the best signings of the Premier League era, but he is more than just a defender.

Since joining the league, no defender has been involved in more goals than the Brazilian, and in all competitions, he has racked up a massive tally of 22 goals and eight assists.

Seeing the Sao Paulo-born monster’s name on the scoresheet at the end of a match has become inevitable this season, yet rival teams remain unable to prevent it from happening.

Ultimately, Rice is a world-class player, but over the last couple of years, and especially this season, Gabriel has been operating just above him and, therefore, could be one of Arsenal’s best ever players in the Premier League.