Arsenal star should have joined Everton instead as Pepe intervention revealed

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes could have been lining up against the Gunners for Everton on Wednesday evening had things gone as originally planned.

Mikel Arteta's young side are are eyeing their first Premier League trophy since 2004.

Their recent 1-0 win over Leicester gave them a two-point advantage over Manchester City, with an opportunity to extend the gap to five with a win over Everton on Wednesday evening.

Central defender Gabriel has been essential to Arteta's plans this season, helping his side form the second-best defence in the league.

However, things could have been very different for the 25-year-old, having previously agreed to join Everton from Lille.

Pepe played 'key role' in Gabriel signing

GOAL report that the centre-back had passed a medical ahead of a proposed summer move to Goodison Park in 2020. However, the move fell through due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Just a few months later, Arsenal expressed their interest in signing the defender.

It was then up to Gabriel to make a decision, with Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe said to have played a 'key role' in Gabriel's decision to move to north London.

And Gabriel has not looked back since, forming an excellent partnership with William Saliba in the heart of defence.

However, the Brazilian has been prone of the occasional moment of madness, and was guilty during Arsenal's 3-1 defeat to Manchester City last month.

His wayward pass resulted in Jack Grealish scoring City's second goal, while only a VAR offside decision saved him after he fouled Erling Haaland inside the penalty area.

And Arsenal legend Alan Smith reckons his chaotic defending could be an issue.

"Gabriel would be a concern for Arteta in the future. He can be so emotional on these occasions and that can affect his game," Smith told Bestgamblingsites.com.

"If you look at [William] Saliba, you hardly notice him because he’s so calm. He does the simple things really effectively. Whereas Gabriel catches the eye for a number of reasons and I think it’s something Arteta will consider if he can rely on him going into these big games. That’s an issue for Arsenal I think."