Gabriel Magalhaes has been in the headlines lately as the Lille defender has been picked out by Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United as a transfer target.
The Brazilian who is 22 and is 6ft 3” seems like a perfect candidate to move on and has had some great form for his club in Ligue 1 this season. And it seems that between just £25-£30m could secure his services. That’s not bad for a player that has already broken into the Brazil under 20 team and it only seems like a matter of time before he will make the senior side.
Lille finished 4th last season and conceded just 27 goals that was one of the lowest in the league and only 3 short of PSG, as they had another very solid season. Even though he’s Brazilian he’s no Roberto Carlos, in that don’t expect him to be a defender and attack too and he has scored just 2 goals for Lille in his time there since 2017. Although Lille have loaned him out to various clubs including Troyes and Dinamo Zagreb.
It seemed at one point with the Zagreb loan move that Magalhaes’ career could have petered out. But he impressed in that season enough for Lille to give him another chance and has completed a full season with the Ligue 1 side.
However it seems that Magalhaes may never settle with Lille and now that two big Premier League clubs have come calling it seems inevitable that the Lille defender will switch clubs and move on. But where will he go?
The temptation would be to join Manchester United given that they seem to be going in the right direction and have of course just qualified for the Champions League. But at United he may well be a small fish in a big pond.
Arsenal are still in transition and trying to find their best system and way under Mikel Arteta. But there is a good vibe around the Gunners at the moment after just winning the FA Cup. However if the player chooses to join them then it will be Europa League football for next season. At the same time it could well be argued that his life won’t be as demanding as it would be if he joined United at this stage.
With the Copa America and the 2022 World Cup around the corner Magalhaes will have to make that ‘big’ move to one of these clubs and this is an opportunity he can’t let go if he wants to break into the Brazil national team.
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