Arsenal controversy: TNT pundit outraged at ‘ridiculous’ Gabriel incident
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes was on the receiving end of a “ridiculous” challenge against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, according to Lucy Ward.
The Gunners secured a comfortable 3-0 win over the Croatian side with goals from Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Martin Odegaard.
However, they survived an injury scare after defender Gabriel was fouled by striker Sandro Kulenovic earlier on in the tie. Keith Hackett told Football Insider that the “reckless” challenge warranted a yellow card as the minimum punishment.
Ward was outraged by the incident and speaking on co-commentary for TNT Sports, expressed concern about the challenge.
She said: “That’s a concern, you can see him rubbing his knee cap. If you get any sort of studs on your knee cap, it’s certainly a sore one. They really do not need another injury”.
She went on to add: “That’s ridiculous [over the replay]. They do not need another defensive injury, Arsenal”. The camera also showed William Saliba in the crowd, adding to the context of the concern for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal need to survive any more major injuries
Football Insider Verdict
Despite the scare, Gabriel Magalhaes was able to continue, and Arsenal finished the night in third place in the Champions League standings, in firm control of automatic qualification for the next round.
With key defensive players like Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus already sidelined, avoiding further injuries will be crucial for the rest of the season.
Arsenal fans are urging the club to sign an attacker after Jesus’ injury, which leaves them with Havertz as their only striker available.
With Saliba already sidelined, an injury to Gabriel could’ve made things worse for Arteta. The only other centre-half at the club is Jakub Kiwior, and he didn’t impress supporters in his last outing, with many calling for him to be sold.
It seems the club is focusing on a forward in the final days of the window. However, they face a challenge in their pursuit of Matheus Cunha, as Nottingham Forest have launched an ambitious attempt to secure his services.
In other news, Arsenal fans have slammed the club following a Benjamin Sesko transfer update.
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