Arsenal “colossus” is on his solution to getting a statue

“He could also be solid in bronze, however he’s nonetheless able to producing really golden moments”, had been the phrases Jon Champion cried when Thierry Henry scored that purpose for Arsenal.

Titi, as he grew to become identified, had been there and finished all of it with the Gunners.

A Highbury legend, the nice Frenchman is the membership’s all-time document goalscorer, he holds the document for essentially the most assists (20) in a single Premier League season and has numerous honours to indicate for his efforts.

He’s a a number of Golden Boot winner, a league winner, an FA Cup winner and he even has a World Cup winner’s medal. He’s, arguably, the best participant by no means to have gained a Ballon d’Or.

So, when he returned on mortgage from New York Crimson Bulls throughout Arsene Wenger’s ultimate years in north London, he was solely going to deal in a single forex: targets.

Whereas he could have been decreased to a bit-part participant, the magic was nonetheless there, netting that classic purpose towards Leeds within the FA Cup to which we’ve already referred, earlier than scoring a winner towards Sunderland.

Henry joins fellow membership legends Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams in having been solid as a statue outdoors the Emirates Stadium.

Since these reminiscences had been erected, supporters have longed for related instances. They haven’t gained the league because the Invincibles facet of 2003/04. How they’d love for that to vary.

21 years on and there’s a sense that is their best probability of successful it since. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Co could properly discover themselves solid in bronze outdoors the stadium earlier than too lengthy.

Why a statue awaits Bukayo Saka

Has the Emirates period ever seen a extra dazzling participant than Saka?

The likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez would all have one thing to say about that however none of them had been beloved fairly as a lot as Saka.

He’s Arsenal by and thru. Born in London, raised in Hale Finish. The winger has been with the Gunners since he was a wee lad and has been the poster boy for Mikel Arteta’s mission.

Saka’s emergence got here underneath Unai Emery however it’s Arteta who has helped him turn into a family title, Arsenal’s talisman and one of many first names on the staff sheet for England.

The 24-year-old’s rise to stardom has been fairly one thing. Beginning out within the senior ranks as a makeshift left-back, he’s now ranked among the many finest wingers on the earth. He’s finished it Gareth Bale type and he’s now obtained the numbers to showcase why he’s rapidly changing into an Arsenal legend.

No participant has appeared extra underneath Arteta than Saka and total, he has now been seen decked in Arsenal colors on 272 events, scoring 73 and helping 71 targets.

Saka solely has one trophy to his title, an FA Cup, but when Arsenal’s vice-captain might help make them Premier League or Champions League glory, then he will certainly be immortalised alongside Henry and Co outdoors the stadium.

Alongside him may properly be the membership’s new Adams.

Arsenal’s new Tony Adams is heading in the direction of statue territory

With out Saka lately, Arteta’s assault would have lacked sparkle. In any case, it’s within the ultimate third the place their largest issues have been discovered.

Largely on account of Saka and Kai Havertz’s long-term hamstring accidents, the 2024/25 marketing campaign was the primary since 1923/24 that an Arsenal participant failed to attain double figures within the league.

So what has the bedrock of Arteta’s success been constructed on? The defence.

When the Spaniard first took cost of Arsenal, the backline was a large number. His opening match in cost towards Bournemouth noticed Saka fielded alongside a pairing of Sokratis and David Luiz, whereas Ainsley Maitland-Niles featured at proper again.

Sokratis and Luiz are removed from the worst defenders Arsenal have had; assume the likes of Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi in that regard.

That’s an indication of simply how far the Gunners have come underneath Arteta’s stewardship. For many who criticise them for being boring, simply consider what it was like.

The 12 months earlier than Arsenal’s former skipper returned to handle the membership, 2018/19, the Gunners shipped 51 targets, essentially the most they’ve ever conceded throughout a single Premier League marketing campaign.

Quick ahead to the current day and there’s arguably no higher defensive facet in Europe. They’re but to concede throughout their three Champions League ties and have conceded simply three targets within the Premier League, solely one in every of which has been scored from open play. That got here courtesy of Erling Haaland and we will excuse that. The person is a machine.

Consequently, they’re on the right track to concede simply 14 league targets, thus bettering that exceptional marketing campaign by Chelsea in 2004/05 after they let in solely 15. That statistic nonetheless defies perception.

Arteta has strengthened his backline enormously and in Gabriel Magalhaes, he has discovered a participant who might be worthy of a statue as soon as all is claimed and finished. Certainly, he’s the Tony Adams of the current day.

A ferocious chief, a rattling good defender, and a scorer of targets, there isn’t lots the Brazilian can’t do.

To assume he as soon as price solely £27m is unbelievable. He now seems to be each bit a £100m centre-back.

Over the previous couple of years, it’s William Saliba who’s gained essentially the most vocal reward from pundits. The French famous person is a Rolls-Royce defender however onlookers are rapidly realising that it’s certainly Gabriel who’s the glue of this staff.

Saliba oozes class and composure however Gabriel is definitely extra of a frontrunner of males. He not solely does that along with his speaking however his actions communicate a thousand phrases.

It was Jamie Carragher who admitted final season that the French defender seems to be somewhat misplaced when his companion in crime isn’t enjoying however the identical can’t be stated for Gabriel who’s changing into Mr Dependable.

To rubber-stamp simply how good the previous Lille star is, he has gained 77% of his floor duels within the league this season. For context, of English top-flight defenders to win greater than ten floor duels, he ranks joint-fifth for share of floor duels gained, sitting stage with the nice Virgil van Dijk.

However, it’s Gabriel’s offensive document that’s the most putting. If a nook or free-kick will get swung, you possibly can wager your home on the truth that the massive Brazilian is more likely to rating a header from it. As Arsenal author Adam Keys put it, he’s a “colossus”.

He was concerned in two of the targets towards Atletico Madrid throughout the 4-0 win earlier within the week. Declan Rice’s swinging free-kick was nodded house to open the scoring and Gabriel then supplied the help from Rice’s nook for Viktor Gyokeres to bag his second of the night.

The straightforward truth of the matter is that Gabriel is a clutch participant. No centre-back in Europe’s prime 5 leagues has scored extra targets than his tally of twenty-two since 2020/21.

In league soccer alone, he has scored 18, a tally that locations him second behind Laurent Koscielny (22) for targets scored by an Arsenal defender within the Premier League.

He’s a modern-day nice, a pillar of solidity, a warrior, a frontrunner, a titan. Ought to Arsenal go on to create a title-winning dynasty, then Gabriel will certainly be in with a shout of being solid in bronze. He’s that good.