Despite flying high in the Premier League and Champions League, it feels like Arsenal can’t catch a break this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side have played far better football than they did last year, but have been just as unlucky, if not more so, when it comes to injuries.
For example, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, and Noni Madueke are just some of their stars who have been forced to sit on the sidelines, or still are.
And then, if things couldn’t get any worse, the Gunners are now going to be without Gabriel Magalhães for up to two months, although Arteta might just have a surprising replacement in mind for the Brazilian.
Arsenal's record when Gabriel does not play
It’s no secret that, thanks to his impact in both penalty areas, Gabriel has become one of Arsenal’s most important players in recent years.
In fact, it’s this ability that led Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher to suggest he could “be seen as the most influential player in the Premier League” only last month.
However, how essential is the big Brazilian to Arteta’s side? While that’s a pretty tricky question to answer, a decent way of approaching it would be to look at how the team have fared when he’s not been in the side over the last two and a bit years.
Starting with the 23/24 season, then, and across all competitions that year, the former LOSC Lille star made 50 appearances, 48 of which were starts, in which he scored four goals, provided one assist and averaged 2.16 points per game.
There were only two matches in which he didn’t appear: a draw against Fulham and a win over Sheffield United, meaning the team averaged just 2 points per game without him.
However, a two-game sample size is rather paltry, unlike last season, when he was absent for 16 games, of which the club won just eight, drew five and lost three, meaning the Gunners averaged just 1.81 points per game without the Brazilian in the team.
How did they fare when he was playing? Well, across all competitions, the Sao Paulo-born titan made 42 appearances, in which he scored five goals, provided three assists and averaged 1.98 points per game.
Games
50
2
Wins
34
1
Draws
6
1
Losses
10
0
Points per Game
2.16
2
Games
42
16
Wins
24
8
Draws
11
5
Losses
7
3
Points per Game
1.98
1.81
Therefore, while there is not a massive drop in points per game for Arsenal without Gabriel in the side, there is still a noticeable one, and with games against Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Chelsea coming up, that is a worry.
However, Arteta has more than enough replacements for his monster centre-back, including one who could come as a bit of a surprise.
Arsenal's surprise Gabriel replacement
The consensus among most Arsenal fans at the moment seems to be that either Riccardo Calafiori or Cristhian Mosquera would be the ideal replacements for Gabriel this weekend.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The former has been in fine form all season, and the latter has shown glimpses of real talent when he’s stepped in.
However, while either player would make total sense, another, more surprising option Arteta could go with is Ben White.
Yes, the former Brighton & Hove Albion man does feel like something of a forgotten man at the moment, and has spent most of his time at the club playing right-back, but the £50m signing could come in and do a job on Sunday.
After all, while he hasn’t played there consistently for some time – his last start in the middle was back in October 2024 – the Englishman was signed as a centre-back and spent the entirety of the 21/22 season playing there, and playing well.
In fact, the only reason he was moved to the right was because William Saliba was finally given a go, and Gabriel was not at all suited to playing at full-back.
Moreover, by playing the Poole-born ace there, Calafiori won’t have to vacate a position he has been incredible in all year, a young Mosquera won’t be thrown into one of the most tense games of the season, and the same could be said for Piero Hincapie.
Finally, and this is particularly pertinent for the game against Spurs, the 28-year-old is, in the words of journalist Charles Watts, a “master of the dark arts.”
In other words, he could be the perfect player to get under the skin of the Spurs players and either throw them off their game or even get them sent off.
Furthermore, he has a track record of making life particularly difficult for Guglielmo Vicario.
Ultimately, it would be a surprise and something of a risk, but even so, Arteta should look to start White at centre-back for Arsenal while Gabriel is out.
A new Zubimendi: Berta makes first move to sign "Rodri-like" CM for Arsenal
The incredibly exciting prospect could be another Zubimendi for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.
1 ByJack Salveson Holmes
