Jean-Louis Garcia, the former coach of Gabriel Magalhaes during his loan spell at Troyes, has revealed that his handling of the Arsenal and Brazil defender is the biggest regret of his career. Gabriel has developed into one of the world's finest centre-backs, playing a pivotal role in Arsenal's Premier League title triumph this season. He now aims to add the Champions League to his accolades when Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on Saturday, before heading to the World Cup with Brazil.
Gabriel's path to the top was not always clear. After being brought to Europe by Lille, he endured two unsuccessful loan spells. The first was at Troyes, where Garcia, impressed by the defender's potential, brought him in on a short-term deal. However, Troyes had just been promoted from Ligue 2 and already had an established central defensive partnership. Gabriel arrived with an injury and was never given a proper opportunity to shine.
Garcia's Regret
“It’s the biggest regret of my career,” Garcia told L’Equipe. “When he arrived, we realised he couldn’t train at full capacity. He was carrying an old adductor injury. We quickly put a protocol in place. We told ourselves we had time. But all of this dragged on until the Christmas break.” The 63-year-old admitted he was confident Gabriel was a top talent but could not bring himself to start him regularly. “I started him again against Saint-Étienne in the Coupe de France, and there, Gabi really came into his own,” Garcia said. “I was determined to play him again against Dijon, but the match was postponed. And in the following Ligue 1 match, against Strasbourg, I had my full squad back, and that’s when Gabriel realised he wasn’t part of the setup. I assure you, I was sure he would go far. If I had to do it again, I would do things differently. I was too emotionally invested in the players who were part of the promotion squad.”
Gabriel's Journey to Stardom
Gabriel made only four appearances for Troyes before moving on loan to Dinamo Zagreb, where he played just once. He finally began playing regularly for Lille in the 2018/19 season, earning praise from manager Christophe Galtier. “I saw he had great potential and he was able to seize the first opportunity he got,” said Galtier. “He was hungry to play, and while he bided his time, he worked a lot. He’s an example for other youngsters to follow. It’s a sort of intelligence to behave like that. How often nowadays do you see players not working if they’re not in the squad?”
Arsenal signed Gabriel for £27 million in September 2020, a fee now considered a bargain given he has made 260 appearances for the club. Before his move, he was heavily linked with Everton, and then-Lille president Gerard Lopez highlighted his potential. “It’s true that he would like to go and try something else out,” Lopez told Sky Sports in April 2020. “We haven’t taken that decision yet, but he’s received a number of offers. I feel he’s closer to one club than others, but nothing’s done yet so we’ll see. I feel he is among the top five dominant central defenders in Europe right now. His statistics, which aren’t well covered outside of France, shows that his percentage for winning duels is pretty unheard of in a league that’s extremely physical. He’s an absolute machine, so to me, he’s well on his way – if not this year – to potentially a really big club. I’m certain he’s on his way to the Brazilian national team at some point.”
Gabriel's Love for Arsenal
Earlier this month, Gabriel spoke about his deep emotional connection to Arsenal. “I think that since I arrived at Arsenal, I have been very well received. So it’s the club that I have in my heart forever,” he told ESPN. “I’m very happy here. I feel at home, my family loves the club. It’s been satisfying for me to have all this time with the Arsenal jersey, so I certainly want to achieve great things here. I’m about to reach six years at the club. I do still have dreams to come here. I am happy and I hope to be able to bring a lot of joy to the fans who deserve it.”
