With Arsenal facing the prospect of a second title fight in as many Premier League campaigns, Mikel Arteta will want to right some of the wrongdoings of last year which saw the Gunners come within touching distance of a first top-division title since the invincible season of 2003/04.
The club currently occupy third place, just two points off the summit of the Premier League. However, the club were inactive during the January transfer window – failing to strengthen their current squad as they aim to end their 20-year drought without a league title.
The Gunners have already spent £225m this season, after the permanent additions of Jurrien Timber, David Raya, Kai Havertz and club-record signing Declan Rice, who joined the club from West Ham United in a deal worth around £105m.
Despite the lack of activity during the winter window, Arteta is looking to strengthen one key area of his squad ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
Arsenal eyeing Gabriel upgrade
FootballTransfers reported earlier this week that Arsenal are interested in signing Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs De Ligt, but trailed Manchester United in the race for the 24-year-old.
The former Ajax man joined the German giants for a deal in the region of £57m in July 2022 but has since fallen down the pecking order of boss Thomas Tuchel.
In recent weeks, the Dutchman has been fourth choice at Bayern – behind defenders Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-Jae and Eric Dier with Sky Germany reporting he's unhappy with his current role at the club.
As such, it's said that internal talks are now being had behind the scenes at Arsenal ahead of launching a summer swoop.
De Ligt has a contract at the Allianz Arena until 2027, with any move away from Germany likely to be an expensive one.
How De Ligt and Gabriel compare
Despite being relatively young, aged just 24, De Ligt is an experienced central defender who has made 225 professional appearances since his debut for Ajax's second team in 2017.
When comparing De Ligt to current Arsenal defender Gabriel, the pair are very closely matched – however, one does have the edge over the other.
#1 Gabriel
Arsenal
#2 Amir Rrahmani
Napoli
#3 Chancel Mbemba
Marseille
#4 Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool
#5 Sergio Ramos
Sevilla
Netherlands international De Ligt averages 74 passes attempted per 90, a total that trumps 26-year-old Gabriel by nine per game. However, it's not just the passes attempted where the "monster" defender – as described by analyst Ben Mattinson – leads Gabriel.
De Ligt also has a better pass completion rate than the Gunners' left-sided centre-back – with the Bayern Munich man completing 92% of passes compared to the Brazilian's 89%. Either way, what that demonstrates is that both are supreme in possession of the ball.
Out of the Dutchman's 74 passes per 90, 5.4 of those are progressive – a figure that ranks him within the top 9% of defenders in Europe this season. Gabriel simply can't match De Ligt's tally, trailing him by 1.6 progressive passes per game – with 34% of defenders averaging more than the Arsenal centre-half.
Passing isn't the only department that the former Juventus man outclasses Gabriel in, with the 24-year-old averaging 3.4 aerials won per 90. The Brazilian averages 2.9 aerials a game – a tally that would still see him rank within the top 19% of centre-backs in Europe, proving that De Ligt would be a step up from the current Arsenal man.
Although any deal for the current Bayern man may be expensive, Arteta and his team should pursue a deal for him in the summer to further bolster his already impressive defence, which is the best in the Premier League so far this campaign.