Arsenal fans have reacted on Twitter to Mikel Arteta claiming that it’s ‘unlikely’ Gabriel Magalhaes will be ready for their Premier League opener against Brentford, as he told his press conference.
The Gunners were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea in a pre-season friendly on Sunday and Arteta provided fans with some team news.
Gabriel, 23, was injured preparing for Brazil’s participation at this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.
And with Arsenal light in the defensive department, well from a quality perspective, it has worried supporters about who will play at the heart of their defence.
This is what Arteta had to say about Gabriel being ready for that Friday, August 13 showdown against newly-promoted Brentford.
“We don’t know,” said Arteta. “He is still injured. He picked up an injury when he was doing the preparation for the Olympics with Brazil.
“At the moment, he hasn’t been able to train with us, so that seems unlikely, at the moment.
“But, hopefully, he can recover quickly.”
Well, Arsenal will be glad that they have Ben White through the doors because if he can get enough minutes through his legs then he’s a starter.
But it’s a case of who plays alongside the big-money summer signing.
Pablo Mari could be an option, as could Rob Holding, but either way, it has left fans worried that one more injury could derail them.
Arsenal supporters don’t like how they are starting the new season as the club have a few more weeks to get players through the door.
And if they start the new campaign in an indifferent fashion then the pressure will seriously be on those in the boardroom to deliver the goods in the transfer market before the August 31st deadline.
Here is a selection of Arsenal fans reacting to the Gabriel news:
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