Gabriel Magalhaes to wear No6 jersey at Arsenal as £27m signing follows in footsteps of Tony Adams and other legends
ARSENAL new boy Gabriel Magalhaes will follow in the footsteps of the legendary Tony Adams by wearing the No 6 shirt.
The ex-Lille man’s £27million arrival at the Emirates was confirmed on Tuesday.
And Magalhaes’ new shirt number was made official on the club’s website.
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Some other huge names in the club’s history to have worn the No 6 shirt include Laurent Koscielny, Martin Keown and David Rocastle.
The Gunners were already advertising on their website last night how to buy the ‘Gabriel 6’ shirt.
But Magalhaes – who idolises Neymar and comes from the same academy as Eden Hazard and Nicolas Pepe – revealed it was talks with Edu, who used to wear Arsenal’s 17, that convinced him to join.
The Brazilian defender, 22, told : “[Edu and I] had several chats about Arsenal and the new project, we had many good conversations.
“As the days went by I was getting very excited about it, then I had a call from the coach and that was very reassuring.
“Having the coach himself calling you to say he wants you in his squad motivates you a lot. That is the very reason I am here today.
“We did not talk about [details], he just told me he is aware of my quality, my capacity and how far I can go. He also said he will be very demanding with me.
“I know he is a great coach and I will make progress with his help.”
Magalhaes also revealed being flooded with messages on social media played a critical role in his decision too.
He added: “So many fans were sending me messages asking me to join Arsenal, and that played a big part in me signing for this club.
“I know the history and traditions of this club and it is a pleasure being here. I am very happy and hope I can contribute to many titles with the Arsenal shirt.
“It was a very surreal experience, there were offers coming from a few different clubs.
“I spoke a lot with my family and my agents, I also spoke with some of Lille’s directors, but as I said, this club’s history and traditions and the team project for the next few years were very motivational for my decision to come here.
“So here I am, wearing the Arsenal shirt, I will give my best for it and come on you Gunners!”