Arsenal injury news: Gabriel Magalhaes latest as Mikel Arteta update on "struggling" centre-back after Champions League win

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Gabriel Magalhaes's substitution against Olympiacos was precautionary.

The Gunners beat Olympiacos 2-0 at the Emirates on Wednesday night, with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka enough to secure their second victory in as many Champions League games.

Fans will be delighted that the Londoners have continued their strong start to the season, but fears grew that centre-back Gabriel had suffered an injury after he was taken off in the 75th minute.

Speaking to reporters after the win, Arteta said that the Brazilian could have continued, but he opted not to take any risks, saying: "He was struggling a bit with a kick in the first half and we took him off. He was a bit uncomfortable. He could carry on but we chose not to take a risk."

Gabriel only started 28 times in the Premier League in 2024-25, and supporters will hope that the defender is fit enough to face West Ham United on Saturday.

Arsenal's centre-back depth: Can Mikel Arteta win the Premier League title?

Cristhian Mosquera started against Newcastle United last Sunday in place of William Saliba, but the Spaniard was taken off at half time after conceding the corner for Nick Woltemade's opener.

Saliba and Gabriel are undoubtedly Arteta's first-choice duo, though it is a positive sign that the club are now able to cope without one of them in the starting lineup.

In 2022-23, Arsenal were leading in the Premier League title race but an injury to Saliba towards the end of the campaign derailed their campaign, and they eventually lost out on the title to Manchester City.

Arsenal may have found it difficult to match the pace set by Liverpool in 2024-25, but the absence of Gabriel for a prolonged period coincided with worse defensive displays.

Now that the Gunners can call upon a number of options at the back, they will be confident that they are in a position to challenge for the title this season even if they suffer injuries.

Where does Gabriel rank among Premier League centre-backs?

Gabriel was seen as a supporting act to Saliba prior to last season, but the Brazilian has arguably cemented himself as the Gunners' best centre-back, with his aggression and physicality helping him dominate opposition attackers.

The 27-year-old has also proven deadly from set pieces, scoring 11 times in the league for the Gunners since the start of 2022-23.

There is an argument that the centre-back is among the best in the world in his position, and perhaps the only central defender with a claim to be better than him in England is Virgil van Dijk, though the Dutchman is 34 and it remains to be seen how he copes in the rest of 2025-26.