'Really crucial': Fabrizio Romano says Mikel Arteta is a 'big fan' of £27m Arsenal player behind the scenes

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Arsenal have a few contract situations that need addressing in the coming months.

It only seems like two minutes ago that William Saliba signed a new deal, but the Frenchman's contract situation is already being discussed, while the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard are about to enter the final 18 months of their deals.

Gabriel Magalhaesis reportedly set for a new contract too, and according to Fabrizio Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, Mikel Arteta is a massive fan of Gabriel.

Indeed, Romano says that Arteta isn't only a big fan of Gabriel's ability and performances on the pitch, the journalist also notes that Arteta is a huge fan of the Brazilian's leadership and personality behind the scenes.

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Mikel Arteta is a fan of Gabriel Magalhaes behind the scenes

Romano spoke about how the £27m man is viewed at Arsenal.

"Gabriel Magalhaes, scored an important goal for Arsenal in the north London derby. He's a leader on the pitch and off the pitch, very important in the dressing room. We have a lot of rumours about Gabriel and his new contract, what I can guarantee right now is that nothing is close or imminent, so relax,' Romano said.

"He's a really crucial player for the club, a really crucial player for the staff and also Mikel Arteta who is a big fan of Gabriel, again, on the pitch but also off the pitch, so his contract is not going to be an issue in terms of discussing at the right moment for Arsenal."

Gabriel Magalhaes could captain Arsenal

Arsenal have a bit of a leadership crisis at the moment as their current captain, Martin Odegaard is out injured.

We've seen Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus captain Arsenal in the last two games, but perhaps Gabriel would be a good option for the armband.

As Romano says, he's great behind the scenes, and he's always one of the most vocal players on the pitch.

With Odegaard out injured, Gabriel may be the man to step up and act as the leader in this Arsenal side.