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Report: Competition hots up for 3.5 clearances per game defender

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Wolverhampton Wanderers will be rivalled by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal for defender Gabriel Magalhaes, according to reports.

The Lille centre back, 22, has been linked with a move to Molineux in the upcoming window after the club have reportedly been scouting him for much of this season.

However, according to reports in the Athletic, they are not the only club interested in the Brazil U20 international, with Arsenal weighing up a move.

The report states that the new Gunners manager wants to address the obvious defensive problems in the squad, despite the club hoping they would not have to invest in this upcoming window.

For Wolves, it’s been no secret that a centre half is clearly on the radar. With the added pressure of the Europa League as well as a battle for the European spots in the Premier League, they simply need reinforcements. Injuries to Willy Boly and Ryan Bennett have meant that Leander Dendoncker and Romain Saiss have had to play either side of Conor Coady despite being more comfortable in midfield, though they have done a very respectable job.

If the reports are true about Arsenal’s interest, then this could be a worry for Wolves’ hopes.

Arsenal and Lille already have history considering they signed Nicolas Pepe in the summer for £72m (as said within this Birmingham Live report) and the North London club has a far bigger reputation.

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There’s no doubt that the Brazillian could help some important depth to their squad. At his young age, he has a lot of room to grow and has been one of the standout players for his team this season, who are enduring another overachieving season.

Lille are currently fourth in Ligue 1 at the halfway stage, and according to stats website WhoScored, Gabriel has been the best centre half for the club so far.

From his 16 games in the league, Gabriel has an average match rating of 6.85/10 – the fourth highest in the whole squad and the most out of any centre back. Additionally, he has an impressive 3.4 aerials won, 3.5 clearances and 0.8 blocks averaged per game, so it’s clear he could add something to this streamlined squad straight away, and also have a lot of potential for the future.

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