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The Lowdown on Chelsea and Arsenal Target Gabigol

Chelsea, Arsenal and Juventus are all rumoured to be interested in signing Santos’ sensation Gabriel Barbosa. The Blues’ interest seems to be the most serious out of the lot, and they have already tabled a £25m bid for “Gabigol”.

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The 19-year-old was discovered by Santos legend Zito when he was playing futsal as an eight-year-old. Gabriel did really well and earned himself the nickname ‘Gabigol’. His prolific nature in front of goal convinced then-coach Muricy Ramalho to let him start training with the senior side in 2012. He made his debut, still aged just 16, in January 2013. Funnily enough, his debut against Flamengo happened to be Neymar’s farewell game before the attacker departed in a multi-million move to Barcelona. Just a co-incidence or an implication by a clever management and club hierarchy that Gabigol is the next Neymar?

Santos were naturally always aware about the talent they had in their ranks and decided to tie the Brazilian to a long-term deal with a buyout clause of €50 million.

As far as style of play goes, Gabigol is versatile and can play anywhere in attack, from a shadow striker to out on the flanks or in the space behind the striker as a traditional No. 10. His nimbleness and eye for assisting a teammate in the position to score or having a go at the goal himself makes him a big goalscoring threat.

He is not physically imposing, only 5 ft 9 in tall, but what he lacks in height and strength, he compensates in other ways. He is technically a fine dribbler and passer which enables him to play behind the striker, dropping deep to link play. With time, he is becoming a more focal point of the attack, someone who can lead the offence.

His biggest strength besides that lethal left foot is his seriousness to become better and not get caught up in all the attention that his talent has drawn. He trains with a personal coach even when he is on holiday. Even while playing, he is less showy, far lesser than Neymar used to be while playing in Brazil. He also recognises that Brazilian teams are tactically inferior to European ones and said in an interview, “I am trying to learn tactically from my coach, Dorival Junior, who recently came back from some internships in Europe.” This attitude indeed, sets him apart from most players his age.

As mentioned, there seems to be serious interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Juventus. While a move to the Premier League will be more inviting, Gabigol has said that a move to a Southern European country would make the culture shock a little lesser.

Chelsea are seemingly refusing to deter and according to the Daily Mirror have tabled a £25m bid. The Blues recently signed Michy Batshuayi from Marseille so the amount they are willing to spend on the 19-year-old who will quite clearly be behind Costa and Batshuayi in the pecking order could mean they have liked what they have seen and want to secure the services of the player for the future. It is likely that Conte wants Batshuayi and Gabigol to be the two main strikers in the future.

This means that the player won’t get to feature as much this season and could possibly only play cup matches or come on as a substitute in a few league games. Chelsea also have a reputation of loaning out players, although one wonders if the trend will remain the same even with Conte at the helm.

Arsenal meanwhile are desperate for a new striker and should be, after the result of last season. Danny Welbeck remains out and Olivier Giroud is not good enough to single handedly propel the Gunners to the title.

Gabigol would be a great signing for the side but once again, not the ideal one for a short-term plan. Wenger, however, usually goes for the long term plan and in that case, the Brazilian would be a great addition for the team but to reiterate, not the one to get them that elusive league victory.

Juventus are the ones leading the race and according to “Brazilian sources” as per Football Italia, “Gabigol intends on accepting the Juventus offer”. Alvaro Morata has headed back to Real Madrid (and is also linked with Chelsea and Arsenal indicating how the two Premier League sides are so keen on another striker), so it’s clear the Serie A giants want a long-term, quality replacement. Simone Zaza has also been linked with a move to Wolfsburg.

Gabigol is certainly making a switch this summer. During August’s Olympic Games we will have the opportunity to see the player in a “dream trio”, one that many Brazilian fans hope will lead them to glory over the next decade. Fans will also be able to see what the hype is all about.

Aakriti Mehrotra
Aakriti Mehrotra
22; History graduate; English Premier League enthusiast with interest in Ligue 1 and the Croatian National Team.
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