Gabriel Magalhaes admits he had other options for a transfer this summer, but it was his personal choice to join Arsenal over the rest.

There were plenty of links between Gabriel and other clubs before he completed his move to North London this summer. Napoli and Manchester United were the leading pair, but Everton, Chelsea, and others also featured on the list of potential moves.

The centre-back admits he tried to shut out all the transfer noise, but eventually, he had to make a decision. As soon as he knew Arsenal were an option, that was the one he pushed for.

“I was trying not to hear too much about transfer speculation because you always end up thinking about everything that’s going on,” Gabriel said.

“After Arsenal came into the equation, he [my agent] told me about other clubs that were interested, but I chose Arsenal because it was a dream for me. It’s a club that I really like and always watched on TV, with fantastic history.

“Arsenal is a huge club, one of the biggest in the world, and I told my agent from the start that if Arsenal came in for me, I wanted to wear the shirt, play at the stadium and feel the fans’ support because it’s a club I’ve always watched.

“I’m now very pleased to be here today alongside top players. It’s a childhood dream of mine.”

It’s a shame Gabriel hasn’t had the chance to play in front of the fans as he wanted, but that will come eventually. For now, he’s certainly feeling the support away from the pitch. Two fan-voted Player of the Month awards remove any doubt about that.

There’s not much better than a summer signing choosing you over your rivals and fast proving themselves as one of the best transfers of the summer.