Arsenal suffer defensive blow with Gabriel sidelined for ‘weeks’, confirms Arteta

Arsenal have been dealt a significant defensive setback after Mikel Arteta confirmed that Gabriel Magalhaes will miss several weeks with a thigh injury picked up on international duty with Brazil.

The influential centre-back, who has been ever-present in Arsenal’s impressive start to the Premier League season, returned to London injured after representing his country. Arteta revealed on Friday that Gabriel will undergo further medical assessment next week to determine an exact recovery timeline, but the club already expects him to be out for an extended spell.

“Gabi unfortunately sustained an injury with the national team and he’ll be out for weeks,” Arteta said. “We’ll have another scan on Wednesday to understand the full extent, but losing a leader in our backline is always a blow. Thankfully, we have strong options who will need to step up.”

Gabriel’s partnership with William Saliba has been the foundation of Arsenal’s title push, with the Gunners conceding only five goals in their opening 11 league fixtures — the best defensive record in the division. His absence not only weakens Arsenal’s organisation but also removes one of their biggest aerial threats at set pieces.

Arteta now turns to alternatives such as summer arrivals Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié, while Jakub Kiwior is also in contention to fill the void.

Compounding Arsenal’s defensive concerns is the uncertainty surrounding Riccardo Calafiori, who withdrew from Italy’s squad with a hip issue. Arteta said the 23-year-old has yet to return to full training.

“He missed Italy’s games and he wasn’t available for them,” Arteta added. “He’s been dealing with a few problems, we had to bring him back early and he hasn’t trained yet. We’ll see how he is in our final session.”

The timing could not be worse for Arsenal, who host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday in a crucial North London derby as they aim to maintain their four-point lead at the top of the table.