Arsenal respond after PSG scout TWO imperious Gunners stars in Tottenham win

PSG watched two outstanding Arsenal stars in Sunday’s victory over Tottenham, and a report claims the Gunners have immediately responded by opening talks over a new contract with the matchwinner.

Arsenal secured their third successive away win in the north London derby when beating Tottenham 1-0 on Sunday. Set pieces were always likely to prove pivotal in the contest and so it proved, with Gabriel Magalhaes powering home the only goal from a corner.

Gabriel and centre-back partner William Saliba helped shut Spurs out at the other end and the duo were the subjects of a watching brief in the stands.

That’s according to TBRFootball who state both of Mikel Arteta’s centre-halves were scouted in person by members of PSG’s recruitment team during the contest.

The Ligue 1 giants are understood to be keeping ‘close tabs’ on both players ahead of potential approaches in the future.

However, the report suggested Arsenal are dead set against losing either defender. As such, it was claimed ‘the mounting interest in Gabriel is one of the reasons that the club have now begun talks to tie the defender down to a new long-term deal.’

Gabriel is contracted to Arsenal until 2027, though despite having just under three years remaining on his deal, Arsenal are determined to extend the 26-year-old’s stay even further.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Arsenal first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Real Madrid also a threat

PSG aren’t the only side keeping a close eye on Saliba. Indeed, Real Madrid’s super scout, Juni Calafat, was also understood to have attended the north London derby.

Calafat reportedly took notes on Cristian Romero as well as Saliba. Given Romero was at fault for Gabriel’s goal and Saliba helped Arsenal keep a clean sheet, it’s the Arsenal man who will have received the more positive report.

Gabriel, meanwhile, has started the last two matches for Brazil alongside Marquinhos who captains PSG at club level.

The fact the pair have played together at international level would bode well for their synergy in Paris.

TEAMtalk’s own sources have indicated Saliba in particular is viewed as one of the foundations at Arsenal.

The Gunners have no intention of losing either of their starting centre-backs, but of the two, Saliba – who is also three years younger than Gabriel – is deemed absolutely essential.

Another left-back signing? / Striker signing updates

Elsewhere, Arsenal are eyeing up yet another left-back despite signing Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori over the last two summers.

TEAMtalk understands the move would only be viable if the Gunners sell at least one of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney first.

We also understand Arsenal-linked Egypt striker, Omar Marmoush, is keen for the next chapter of his playing career to unfold in the Premier League.

Aside from Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham and Crystal Palace are showing interest.

A higher profile option to lead the line is Sporting CP hitman Viktor Gyokeres. However, ahead of Sporting’s Champions League opener against Lille, Gyokeres declared: “I don’t want to go anywhere.”

Sporting can be taken out of the equation by way of Gyokeres’ reported €100m (£84.2m / $111.3m) release clause. But convincing Gyokeres to leave Lisbon may not be so straightforward.

Are Saliba and Gabriel the world’s best centre-back pairing?

The pair were the bedrock in an Arsenal side that conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League last term. Indeed, Arsenal’s mark of 29 goals conceded was five fewer than champions Manchester City.

Using football database FBref.com, We’ve taken a look at how Arsenal’s defence compared with the teams that won Europe’s top five leagues in 2023/24 and the results make great reading the Arteta’s men.

Arsenal

Arsenal had the best defensive record in the Premier League in 2023/24 as they conceded just 29 goals in 38 Premier League games.

David Raya won the Premier League Golden Glove award after keeping 16 clean sheets in the top-flight and Aaron Ramsdale also kept two clean sheets, taking their overall total to 18.

The Gunners had an Expected Goals Against (xGA) of 27.9, which was the lowest in Europe’s top five leagues in 2023/24.

Manchester City

Despite winning the Premier League title in 2023/24, City actually conceded five more goals than Arsenal and only kept 13 clean sheets.

Pep Guardiola’s side also had a much higher Expected Goals Against (xGA) than Arsenal as their total stood at 35.6.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid conceded just 26 goals in 38 LaLiga games in 2023/24 and also kept 21 clean sheets as they finished 10 points ahead of Barcelona.

But their Expected Goals Against stood at 35.4, which is 9.4 above the 26 league goals they let in. It’s also a hefty 7.5 xGA worse than Arsenal’s mark of 27.9.

Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen were renowned for their entertaining football in the 2023/24 season but a strong defence also played a key role in their title win.

They conceded 24 goals in 34 Bundesliga games and also kept 16 clean sheets over the course of the season.

Despite playing four games fewer than Arsenal, Xabi Alonso’s side still had a higher Expected Goals Against than Arsenal, with their total standing at 29.9.

Paris Saint-Germain

While PSG retained their Ligue 1 title in 2023/24, they conceded just under a goal a game as they let in 33 goals in 34 matches.

They only kept 12 clean sheets and recorded an Expected Goals Against of 40.0, which was 12.1 higher than Arsenal’s xGA.

Inter Milan

Inter had the best defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues as they conceded just 22 goals in 38 Serie A games.

Simone Inzaghi’s side also kept 21 clean sheets in the title-winning campaign but they overperformed their Expected Goals Against, which stood at 31.2.