The Gunners made it two wins from two to open up their Premier League title bid this term, with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insisted that Gabriel is not for sale and will not be leaving.
The Brazil defender was only a substitute at Selhurst Park on Monday night as the Gunners held on to a precious away win thanks to Martin Odegaard’s penalty despite having Takehiro Tomiyasu sent off for a second yellow card after 67 minutes. It prompted big celebrations among the travelling fans and the players as Arsenal made it two straight wins to start their season.
Asked post-match about Gabriel’s future, after the centre-back failed to start for a second consecutive game amid strong interest from Saudi Arabia Pro League Club Al-Ittihad and whether there was any meaning to his absence from the starting XI, Artet responded: “Nothing at all. It’s about the games we were expecting, how I wanted to defend and attack.
“I believe it was the best thing, he played in both games and helped us win both games.