Arteta confirms Gabriel injury and calls it massive setback after losing the ‘leader of our backline’ for 2 months.
Mikel Arteta acknowledged that losing “the leader of our backline” was a blow to Arsenal’s title hopes and predicted Gabriel Magalhães would be sidelined for weeks due to a thigh injury he acquired while playing for his country.
After sustaining the injury during a friendly match against Senegal at the Emirates last weekend, the Brazilian defender was sent back to Arsenal for treatment. On Wednesday, when Arsenal hosts Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Arteta disclosed that Gabriel was scheduled for more scans.
Due to a hip issue, Riccardo Calafiori has not trained since returning early from Italy’s international duty, making him doubtful for Sunday’s derby at home against Tottenham. Arsenal may be without a number of important attackers. Arteta feels he has a strong enough team to handle Gabriel’s absence, as his team leads the Premier League by four points.
“He’s going to be out for weeks,” he said. “It’s clearly a blow because it’s our leader in our backline and to me it’s obviously never a positive thing. The good thing is that we have very good options and people have to stand up now and do their job.”
Gabriel is expected to be replaced by Cristhian Mosquera or Piero Hincapié, both signed in the summer to provide more defensive protection, as Arsenal has only given up five goals in 17 games this season. Although it is known that captain Martin Ødegaard, who hasn’t played since the beginning of October due to a knee injury, may make a comeback against Spurs, Arteta wouldn’t predict when Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres, or Noni Madueke will return.
If Ødegaard isn’t ready to start, Bukayo Saka is anticipated to keep the armband, and Arteta voiced confidence that the England forward would extend his 2027 deal. “I know he’s happy and wants to stay with us,” he remarked.