Jermaine Pennant has admitted that there is a Manchester City player he would put into his team ahead of Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes.
It has been a phenomenal season for the Gunners and Gabriel Magalhaes. Bayern Munich became the first side since Liverpool at the start of January to put two goals past Arsenal in a single game on Tuesday.
Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season. And Gabriel has been absolutely outstanding alongside William Saliba.
Mikel Arteta’s men have kept eight clean sheets in all competitions since the turn of the year. So you would imagine that many would put the two Arsenal centre-backs in a dream XI made up of those still featuring in the Champions League.
Jermaine Pennant says he would take Manchester City star over Gabriel Magalhaes
However, that is not the case for Jermaine Pennant. Speaking to talkSPORT, the former Gunners winger opted for John Stones ahead of the Brazilian.
“I think Stones is a better defender than Gabriel,” he said.
“Better player, but also defender as well.”
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Certainly, you could definitely make the argument that Stones is the better player. He has been so integral to the way Manchester City do play, looking extremely comfortable moving into that midfield and playing alongside Rodri.
Gabriel did make a mistake for Bayern’s first goal yesterday. But you could argue that he was thrown off by David Raya’s bizarre positioning.
Gabriel seems to have been a rock throughout the season. It is telling that he has been in the side since the start of the journey under Mikel Arteta. And he has continued to grow as the side has got better and better.
The likes of William Saliba and Ben White have both been superb alongside Gabriel. And it seems that it is only in this season that the 26-year-old is starting to get the full credit that he deserves.
Stones has been amazing since his £47.5 million move to City. So it is difficult to argue with Pennant’s claim. But you could not complain either if he had opted for the Arsenal man instead.
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