The 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 utterly sensational for much of the season, even with most of their attackers out of action.

Additionally, those who have stayed fit have risen massively so far and are currently looking 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 outshone by another of Arsenal’s most important players, someone who could be one of their best signings of the Premier League era.

Rice’s development at Arsenal

When Arsenal spent a club record £105 million 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.

After all, although he played other roles at West Ham United, he was primarily a defensive midfielder in East London.

Unsurprisingly, this is how Arteta used the Englishman for much of the 23/24 season, with him making 31 appearances at the base of midfield, 19 in central areas and one in central defense.

However, towards the end of that season, the manager was gambling on his record by signing higher up the pitch, and this trend continued into the following campaign, where the 26-year-old became much more of an all-action left eight.

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

It looked like the former Hammers captain would continue to play higher up the pitch this season, particularly with the arrival of Martin Zubimendi at the club, but once again, and for the third campaign in a row, his role has changed slightly.

The 70-cap Englishman still starts matches in central midfield, but as well as coming forward and crashing into the opponent’s penalty area, he once again drops deep, notably to create a double pivot with his new Spanish teammate.

This change is clearly visible during matches and on his heatmaps, but he was also happy to tell the press during the last international break that the manager had “adjusted my position a bit at Arsenal this year to give me a bit more freedom to go deeper but also to get into the box when I can”.

Add to that an outrageous ability with dead balls that has already seen him tally five assists to go along with his two goals this season, and it’s easy to see why so many people consider Rice one of the best players in the league.

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

The Arsenal star who could be one of their best PL signings

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

However, when it comes to someone who has truly taken it to the next level this season, it’s virtually impossible to ignore Gabriel Magalhães.

The Brazilian was once considered 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 although rumors swirled that he would go on sale in the summer of 2023, he has since become quite invaluable.

In fact, even though William Saliba is considered the more cultured of the two central defenders and was constantly touted for a move to Real Madrid ahead of his contract renewal, it’s safe to say that the Brazilian has been the better player over the past two years.

For example, he has almost completely rid his game of the stupid mistakes that damaged his reputation early on and has become a titan at the back.

Plus, while he’s more than capable of the lovely passes his French partner likes to play, he also has that old-fashioned approach to the game.

He pulls off more than his share of perfectly timed yet thunderous action challenges that get fans on their feet.

Add to that the fact that he’s 6ft 3in, a vocal leader and clearly someone who loves the art of defending, and it’s easy to see why Arsenal writer Adam Keys described him as the Gunners’ “colossus” at the back.

Now, the 27-year-old’s defensive contributions, which have played a vital role in the club’s eight consecutive clean sheets, would be reason enough for him to be ranked among 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 across all competitions he has racked up an outrageous total of 22 goals and eight assists.

Seeing the São Paulo-born monster’s name on the scoresheet at the end of a match has become an inevitability this season, and yet opposing teams remain unable to prevent it from happening.

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