Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been told by club legend Alan Smith that Gabriel Magalhaes is becoming a 'concern' due to how emotional he is on the pitch. The Brazilian defender was lucky to escape giving away a penalty against Manchester City after hauling down Erling Haaland, only for VAR to deem the Norwegian striker offside in the build-up to the incident.
The Gunners have now taken just one point from their last three Premier League fixtures as they fell to second place in the table. City moved above the north Londoners with a win at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night due to their superior goal difference.
Gabriel was linked with a surprise transfer exit last summer but has proved to be a solid partner for William Saliba at the heart of the Arsenal defence this term. In recent weeks, the Brazilian's performance levels have dropped slightly highlighted by a loose pass against City which led to Jack Grealish's goal.
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Former Arsenal striker Smith feels the match continued a worrying trend of Gabriel becoming too emotional in a big game and thinks Arteta may have to consider pulling him out of the line-up in future. Smith told Bestgamblingsites.com: "Gabriel would be a concern for Arteta in the future.
"He can be so emotional on these occasions and that can affect his game. If you look at Saliba, you hardly notice him because he’s so calm.
"He does the simple things really effectively. Whereas Gabriel catches the eye for a number of reasons and I think it’s something Arteta will consider if he can rely on him going into these big games.
"That’s an issue for Arsenal I think," he added. Smith does not feel January signing Jakub Kiwior is ready to replace Gabriel alongside Saliba just yet and a new centre-back may be required in the summer.
"To incorporate Kiwior on the bench at the moment would be a big call, as he has been getting used to the first team environment. I don’t think Rob Holding is the answer, unfortunately – I don’t think he’s quite at the required level.
"We’ve been speaking for a long time about bringing in a striker and a central midfielder. But I think perhaps centre back is another area to focus on," Smith said.
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