Arsenal were recently named the eighth most valuable football team in the world by analytics site Sportico, which is a seriously impressive achievement considering the position the team found themselves in just a few years ago.
Since their back-to-back eighth-placed Premier League finishes, the Gunners have established themselves as one of the best teams in Europe, and their recent valuation is just another way of showing that.
This success on and off the pitch has also seen the valuations of several of Mikel Arteta's star signings soar, including one player who's now worth eight times more than Thomas Partey.
Gabriel Magalhães' Arsenal career
The star in question is defensive stalwart Gabriel Magalhães, who joined the Gunners from Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille for just £27m in September 2020.
At the time, the Brazilian centre-back was a relatively unknown name to English football fans, but he had made quite the impression in France with Les Dogues, so much so that their then-president, Gerard Lopez, described him as a "real fighter" and someone that possessed an "immense physical presence."
His full debut for the North Londoners was a memorable one, a 3-0 away win at Fulham, where he not only showcased his defensive prowess but also scored, which has since become a bit of a habit for the 6 foot 3 titan, well, by the standard of a centre-back anyway.
GK – Bernd Leno
CB – Kieran Tierney
CB – Gabriel Magalhães
CB – Rob Holding
RWB – Hector Bellerin
CM – Granit Xhaka
CM – Mohamed Elneny
LWB – Ainsley Maitland-Niles
LW – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
RW – Willian
ST – Alexandre Lacazette
In the 167 appearances the 26-year-old has made for the Gunners, he has scored 15 goals and provided one assist, and in January this year, he became the highest-scoring defender in the Premier League since his arrival over three years ago.
It's not just his goals that make him a special player, though, he's also an integral part of the best defence in the league this season, starting 89% of league games and playing 90% of league minutes alongside his partner in crime, William Saliba.
Described as "absolutely unstoppable" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Brazilian might not quite get the media attention of his French teammate, but his no-nonsense and aggressive style of defending is just as essential to Arteta's incredible team, and as such, his valuation has ballooned since his arrival.
Gabriel Magalhães' transfer valuation in 2024
According to CIES Football Observatory, Arsenal's most important Gabriel – at least this season – is currently worth €80m, which converts to around £69m, or £42m more than Arteta signed him for in 2020.
1
Gabriel Martinelli
€100m (£86m)
£6m
43 (30)
2
Gabriel Magalhães
€80m (£69m)
£27m
49 (47)
2
Gabriel Jesus
€80m (£69m)
£45m
35 (21)
This new valuation means he is worth slightly less than Gabriel Martinelli, who is priced at €100m – £86m – by the CIES, but the same as Gabriel Jesus, who also has a valuation of €80m – £69m.
However, one Arsenal star that the defensive powerhouse is worth more than is Partey, who has recently been valued at just €10m by the CIES, which converts to around £9m, or 7.6 times less than the defender.
2020/21
33
3
21
2021/22
26
3
19
2022/23
40
2
6
2023/24
15
2
26
Total
114
10
72
This shocking price tag is likely down to the consistent injury problems the Ghanaian has faced during his time in North London, which has seen him miss a whopping 72 games since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, as it doesn't matter how good a player is if they are never fit enough to play.
Furthermore, those injury problems have limited him to just 15 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners this season, so there really hasn't been a point in his Arsenal career where he has been less important to the team's overall success.
Ultimately, Arsenal hit the jackpot with Gabriel, and while his three years of impressive performances should be enough to convince people of that fact, his soaring valuation is just another way to show it.
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