Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with the hamstring injury he suffered against Fulham on Tuesday night.
Scans on Wednesday confirmed Arsenal’s worst fears, with the key Brazilian a major loss ahead of their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
Gabriel has been arguably Arsenal’s best player this season and his partnership with William Saliba has been fundamental to their defensive record. Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League this season, with only 25 goals conceded in 30 games.
Gabriel’s injury is sufficiently severe that he now requires surgery, which could mean he is still fighting to be fully fit in time for the start of next season.
Gabriel limped out of the action in the first half against Fulham and was in visible pain as he hobbled down the tunnel. He was replaced by Poland international Jakub Kiwior, who now seems the most likely candidate to stand in for the Brazilian for the remainder of this campaign.
Gabriel has started all but two Premier League matches for Arsenal this season and has played in nine of their 10 games in the Champions League. The 27-year-old is also a constant threat from set pieces, scoring five goals this season.
He is the third Arsenal player to require surgery on a hamstring injury in recent months, after Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, and his injury came on his first game back from the international break, in which he travelled to Brazil.
Mikel Arteta is also sweating on the fitness of defenders Jurrien Timber and Ben White ahead of the Real Madrid match next week, although neither of their knee problems are as serious as the injury suffered by Gabriel.
Versatile defender Riccardo Calafiori is also currently unavailable with a knee problem he picked up on international duty with Italy.
Gabriel injury a nightmare for Arteta
This has been a season of brutal injuries for Arsenal and the loss of Gabriel Magalhaes, just a few days before the Champions League meeting with Real Madrid, is unquestionably another devastating blow.
There can be no overstating the importance of the powerful Brazilian to Arsenal’s defensive setup, and he has been perhaps their most consistent performer throughout this campaign. In the eyes of many at Arsenal, he has been their player of the season.
How will they cope without him against Madrid? The most likely replacement is Poland international Jakub Kiwior, who came off the bench for Gabriel against Fulham on Tuesday night. Kiwior also started when Gabriel was absent for a few games in December.
Kiwior is a solid performer but he is simply not as reliable or imposing as Gabriel. He is also more prone to making errors, as he did against Fulham on Tuesday and against Crystal Palace earlier this season.
In that League Cup match against Palace, Kiwior struggled against the pace and power of Jean-Philippe Mateta (zero France appearances). How, then, will he cope against Kylian Mbappe (88 France appearances, 48 goals)? It will be a troubling thought for all of an Arsenal persuasion.
Mikel Arteta might have alternative options in Jurrien Timber and Ben White, if those players recover from knee issues in time for Tuesday’s first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Timber and White are more than capable of playing as central defenders, although they are both right-sided. It would therefore require Arteta to move one of them to the left of the central defensive pairing, or indeed to push William Saliba (usually the right-sided centre-back) into that position. Neither situation is ideal.
How frustrating it must be, too, that Riccardo Calafiori is also missing with a knee problem. The Italian was signed for his ability to play as a left-back or a left central defender, yet he is still managing an injury that he picked up on international duty last month.
Arteta said on Monday that Calafiori’s injury was “hopefully going to be a matter of weeks”, which makes him a doubt even for the second leg in Spain on April 16.
