Worries over the absence of this defender in Arsenal squad

Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has expressed worries over the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes in the Gunners’ defence after their 2-2 draw vs Fulham over the weekend.

Magalhaes was absent during the match as the Gunners found themselves a goal down after just one minute against Fulham, with Andreas Pereira capitalising on a mix-up involving Bukayo Saka.

However, a striker each from Saka and Eddie Nketiah put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead in the second half at the Emirates.

Joao Palhinha would later capitalise on some poor defending to score an equaliser for Fulham.

However, Wright believes Magalhaes gives Arsenal solidity at the back.

“They started very slack, the whole game in fact; the way Fulham came back, there was a time when I was watching and I just felt nervous for us,” Wright told Premier League Productions.

He said further: “We don’t seem to be as confident in managing the game after we got back into it and went 2-1 up. And I think that is a bit of a worry because there are things that happened. I know the fans are a little bit worried about Gabriel not playing; he gives us solidity in there, and when they scored that goal at the death at the corner, it’s something our big defender would be there [for].”