Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes won’t be going to the Olympics after all.
The Brazil centre-back was set to represent his country in Tokyo a little later this month, alongside Gunners team-mate Gabriel Martinelli.
But it has been confirmed that Gabriel, a £27 million signing by Arsenal last summer, will now miss the tournament due to a knee injury.
Here’s how some fans of the Emirates Stadium club reacted on Twitter:
Silver linings
There’s two pieces of good news here:
The first is that it could mean Gabriel is available for Arsenal’s start to the Premier League season, with Mikel Arteta’s side kicking off their campaign with a trip to Brentford on August 13.
The other potential positive is that it may make Arteta and Edu think twice about getting rid of William Saliba.
Saliba is heavily tipped to follow Arsenal teammate Matteo Guendouzi in joining Marseille on loan, with the move thought to be imminent.
But this development may just make the North Londoners hesitant to sanction that until there’s a bit more clarity regarding Gabriel’s situation, given that they’re both centre-backs.
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