Gabriel has opened up on his love for Brazilian outfit Corinthians and the Arsenal defender concedes he go and play for them tomorrow if an opportunity came up
Arsenal star star Gabriel admits he would head to Corinthians "tomorrow" if an opportunity came up.
The centre-half, from the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, is a huge lover of the iconic outfit in his homeland. He's become a leading light at the Emirates since joining them from Lille several seasons ago, going on to form a towering partnership with William Saliba.
There has been no talk of Gabriel, who was just part of the best Premier League defence, moving away from north London. Avai is the only Brazilian outfit the 26-year-old has ever represented, beginning his career there, but he's regularly been spotted at Corinthians games and was filmed taking public transport to a match in Sao Paulo last month.
He said when discussing his love for the Brazilian outfit: "Corinthians, that’s since I was born and today I don’t think it has to be any different. I still go to Corinthians games by train. It’s my dream, I want to play for Corinthians, I want to feel that energy."
Pressed on whether he can see himself playing for Corinthians he responded: "It’s something to think about. Sometimes I stop and think, 'Do you dream of playing for Corinthians?' I do. 'When would you play for Corinthians?' For me, I’d be at Corinthians tomorrow.
"I hope it doesn’t take too long because I want to feel the energy of those fans, who are incredible, as soon as possible."
Gabriel admits, back at the start of the recent campaign, he weighed up whether to leave north London after being dislodged from the starting XI. Ben White was pushed back into play centre-half alongside Saliba with Thomas Partey going in a right-back, but a chat with Mikel Arteta proved crucial.
The defender said: “He (Arteta) spoke to me and obviously explained the reasons behind the decision. Why I should stay – but the most important thing was to remain focused and concentrate – he knew how important I was to the team, so I’m happy to be back and to be able to help the team in every game. I’m happy to be back in the team and hopefully I can help them moving forward.”
Arsenal are not expecting to lose any key members of their backline this summer. Saliba, Gabriel and White are all key figures, although a new left-back is likely to be on the radar. Back-up goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is expected to seek pastures new as he eyes regular minutes.
