Arsenal fear that centre-back Gabriel Magalhães could miss at least a month after suffering a thigh injury while playing for Brazil, dealing a major blow to the Premier League leaders’ title push.
The 27-year-old limped off during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium and has since undergone further tests in London. While Arsenal have not confirmed an exact timeline, the defender is expected to miss the north London derby against Tottenham on Sunday and the Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich shortly afterwards.
Depending on the severity, Gabriel could also be absent for league fixtures against Chelsea, Brentford and Aston Villa, plus the Champions League trip to Club Brugge on 10 December. Arsenal then face Wolves and travel to Everton before Christmas.
Gabriel has played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League season so far, anchoring a defence that has conceded only five goals and recently set an eight-match clean-sheet run. His loss comes as Mikel Arteta’s squad is already stretched: Viktor Gyökeres remains doubtful with a hamstring injury, while captain Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli are also sidelined.
New signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are among the options to step in for Gabriel. Meanwhile, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann has confirmed Kai Havertz suffered a “minor relapse” in his knee recovery, delaying his expected return until later in the year.
