He was a monster v Leverkusen: Arsenal have found a Gabriel & Saliba hybrid

When all is said and done, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba will go down as one of the best centre-back partnerships in Premier League history. That’s the standard that they’ve set this season, as Arsenal continue to storm towards their first title since that historic invincible campaign in 2003/04.

Back then, it was Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure who played a key role in history. Over two decades later, it’s Gabriel and Saliba who are set to welcome the glory days back to North London.

It’s not often that a centre-back pairing takes centre-stage for a title-winning side these days, but Arsenal’s best work stems from their dominant duo.

Gabriel and Saliba: The Premier League’s best partnership

A lot has been made of Arsenal’s style, but there’s no denying its impact. Only Mikel Arteta has been able to turn one of his central defenders into somewhat of a talisman, all whilst maintaining the best defensive record in the Premier League. It’s largely why the Gunners are nine points clear at the top.

PL 2025/26 Set Piece Goals
Arsenal	19
Man Utd	15
Tottenham	14
Newcastle	14
Liverpool	13

It’s not just an attacking threat that Gabriel and Saliba provide, however. Their partnership has carried Arsenal out of an era to forget, surrounded by the likes of David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi and into an era which could yet be defined by undeniable history.

No one in the Premier League has conceded fewer goals per game, conceded fewer expected goals (xG) or kept more clean sheets than the champions elect this season.

What’s more, the Gunners are on course to concede the fewest goals (19) as champions since Manchester City in the 18/19 campaign (23).

Alas, even with history awaiting them, there’s still room for things to get even better in North London if Arteta continues to select a player who’s becoming the perfect hybrid of Gabriel and Saliba.

Arsenal’s perfect hybrid of Gabriel & Saliba

When Arsenal signed Piero Hincapie on loan with an option to buy worth £45m, Andrea Berta was rightly applauded. The new sporting director had added yet more quality in depth and has looked likely to trigger that buy option ever since.

But what if Hincapie is more than just squad depth? A player welcomed for depth alone certainly wouldn’t be starting a Champions League last 16 second leg with the scores level. Hincapie did just that, however, and is quickly beginning to cement his place in Arteta’s strongest line-up at the Emirates.

Against Bayer Leverkusen, the Ecuador international was impenetrable. His old club came knocking and he simply slammed the door shut in what is becoming quite the habit.

There was a concern that the South American would be slightly too erratic to really step up alongside Gabriel and Saliba, but his aggression, combined with surprising composure, has made him the perfect hybrid of the two.

Hincapie blocked the most crosses on the pitch, made six clearances and made nine defensive contributions. He was simply everywhere and matched Gabriel’s aggression alongside him, with the Brazilian also making five clearances and 11 defensive contributions. Put it simply, the defender is a warrior, but a calm warrior if there ever was such a thing.

Meanwhile, the former Bayer Leverkusen man also did well to match the composure of Saliba throughout the second leg. Both completed more than three passes into the final third and maintained an 80% pass completion rate or better.

It seems to be the theme of the season for Hincapie too, who has been the perfect player to call on at fullback or when stepping up for Arsenal’s centre-back pairing.

PL stats per 90 25/26	Hincapie	Gabriel	Saliba
Minutes	1,504	2,166	2,075
Clearances	4.49	6.19	4.42
Tackles	2.33	1.33	1.26
Pass completion rate	89.2%	88.7%	92.7%
Dispossessed	0.24	0.08	0.26

Hincapie is continuing to prove that he’s more than just a depth player at Arsenal and has arguably worked his way into Arteta’s best team in North London.

Whilst Gabriel warrior-like tendencies make him a standout and Saliba’s composure does the same for him, the South American has proved that he has both traits in abundance.