Gabriel Magalhaes Reveals How Close He Came to Signing for Everton—Medical, Shirt Ready, but Fate Had Other Plans

By Charles Jones
13 June 2025, 8:15 AM BST

Everton Football Club, one of the grand old names of English football, have long been a magnet for stories of “what could have been.” Over the years, the Toffees have attempted to lure numerous top players to Goodison Park—some coming agonisingly close to sealing a move, only for the deals to collapse at the final hurdle.

Names like Kyle Walker, Andy Robertson, and Aaron Ramsey are all associated with such near-misses. Now, another Premier League star has lifted the lid on just how close he came to donning the famous royal blue shirt of Everton.

In a revealing interview with the Brazilian podcast Podpah, Arsenal’s defensive stalwart Gabriel Magalhaes shared the remarkable tale of how he nearly became an Everton player back in 2020—so close, in fact, that he even completed a medical and found a shirt with his name waiting in the hotel room.

Gabriel Magalhaes: The One That Got Away

Gabriel Magalhaes is now a cornerstone of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team, a central defender who has helped transform the Gunners from top-four hopefuls to genuine Premier League title contenders. But had history taken a different turn, his career could have unfolded very differently on Merseyside.

Reflecting on the chaotic events of early 2020—a time when the world was on the cusp of pandemic-induced upheaval—Gabriel detailed how Everton and Lille had already reached an agreement for his transfer. It was all but done.

“I went to Arsenal—it was right in the year of COVID, 2020,” Gabriel explained. “A little before that, my agent said, ‘Oh, you have an offer from Everton.’ The clubs had already made an agreement. Everton and Lille had agreed everything in the January window.”

Though the formal deal was arranged in January, the plan was for Gabriel to move in the summer window. His transition to the Premier League would be gradual, allowing him to finish the Ligue 1 season with Lille.

“But I wasn’t going in the January window; I was only going in the middle of the year, in June,” Gabriel said.

The Medical, The Hotel Reception, and the Shirt

What followed was a sequence of events that encapsulate just how close Gabriel came to joining Everton.

After being suspended for a match with Lille, Gabriel was instructed to travel to England for his medical. The sense of excitement and expectation was palpable.

“The Director from Lille said, ‘You’re going to go there, you’re going to have a medical and everything,’” Gabriel recounted. “I said, ‘Okay, everything was already sorted.’”

The defender even had a memorable encounter with then-Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti during this process.

“Man, it was still Ancelotti, right? He came to me (in Brazil) and said, ‘Do you remember me?’ He said, ‘This time you’re not going to run because last time you refused, and here you can’t say yes or no,’” Gabriel recalled with a smile.

Arriving in Liverpool, Gabriel was greeted with a warm reception befitting a marquee signing.

“I went to Everton, did a medical exam. Crazy, bro. I got there—they prepared a whole thing for me—a reception in the hotel. Gabriel, number four in the hotel room, the shirt on the bed,” he said.

“I did the medical exam. Ancelotti wasn’t there, it was his son, his assistant. He started showing me videos saying how they wanted me.”

For a moment, Gabriel was ready to begin a new chapter of his career on Merseyside.

Fate Intervenes: COVID, Napoli Interest, and a Last-Minute Arsenal Call

However, as fate would have it, global events would soon conspire to change the course of his future.

“I went back to Lille and then COVID started. The league in France stopped, and then I went to Brazil and was on vacation,” Gabriel said.

During this hiatus, the situation changed rapidly. New suitors emerged, and Everton’s previously agreed deal lost momentum.

“In the end, I came back, and the Director said, ‘You have an offer from Napoli—not Arsenal, only Napoli,’” Gabriel explained.

Understandably, Gabriel was left in a whirlwind of uncertainty, feeling like the protagonist of a football drama.

“I thought everything was sorted with Everton. But Gattuso called me—the coach of Napoli. Ancelotti called me in the afternoon. What is going to happen? I was feeling like Alex Hunter on FIFA,” he joked, referencing the famous video game storyline about a young player navigating the twists and turns of professional football.

Just when it seemed a move to Napoli was imminent, Arsenal finally entered the fray.

“At the last minute, Edu Gaspar called me—the Director from Arsenal,” Gabriel revealed.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The Arsenal Success Story

Since joining Arsenal in a £27 million move, Gabriel has thrived in the Premier League. He has become one of the league’s most consistent and imposing defenders, helping Arsenal compete at the highest level both domestically and in Europe.

Yet, his story with Everton remains one of football’s great “what if” moments.

Arsenal’s Mixed Record Against Everton

Interestingly, despite Gabriel’s success with Arsenal, his team hasn’t always had it their own way against the club he nearly joined.

Since Gabriel’s arrival, Arsenal have faced Everton 10 times, with mixed results:

Games Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	Gabriel Goals
10	4	2	4	1

Arsenal have won just four of those encounters, losing four—highlighting the Toffees’ stubbornness in this fixture.

Gabriel himself scored against Everton on the final day of the 2021/22 season in a resounding 5-1 win at the Emirates.

A Career That Could Have Been Different

It’s hard to fault Gabriel for ultimately choosing Arsenal. The Gunners’ stature, their European ambitions, and the opportunity to work with Mikel Arteta undoubtedly made the move appealing.

Gabriel has since earned widespread acclaim for his performances. This past season, he signed a lucrative new deal to remain at Arsenal for the foreseeable future—a far cry from the uncertainty he faced back in 2020.

For Everton fans, the tale is yet another chapter in the club’s storied history of near-misses in the transfer market. They can only imagine what might have been had the pandemic not intervened.

Final Thoughts

Football is often defined by such sliding door moments—brief instances when the course of a player’s career can change forever. For Gabriel Magalhaes, a medical at Everton and a shirt on a hotel bed were tangible signs of a future that nearly was.

Today, though, he is one of the Premier League’s top defenders, helping Arsenal fight for major honours. And as he lines up against Everton in future battles, both sets of fans will know that this story could have had a very different ending.