Good morning, everyone! We’re kicking off bright and early today, like celebrating an unexpected St Totteringham’s Day, right? Just a little something to brighten up our morning.
Sadly, we begin with some unfortunate news about Gabriel Magalhaes. After injuring his hamstring during the Fulham match, I wasn’t too optimistic about his chances of playing against Real Madrid. However, I didn’t see it coming as a season-ending injury. Arsenal announced yesterday that he will need surgery, and unfortunately, that means we won’t see the Brazilian defender back on the field this season.
This is a major setback as his partnership with William Saliba has been outstanding. Our prospects, both in domestic matches and European competitions, are now a bit cloudier. While it doesn’t make everything impossible, it does make our path considerably more challenging. As I’ve mentioned before, injuries can happen for a variety of reasons, and I don’t claim to have enough expertise to pinpoint exactly what led to Gabriel’s situation.
There’s definitely a need to investigate internally why we’ve had three players with hamstring injuries requiring surgery. Some argue it’s about players like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel, and Kai Havertz taking on a heavy workload, and that could be correct. But what about Reiss Nelson? His minutes don’t match up to theirs, yet he suffered a similar injury while at Fulham. So, it’s not a cut-and-dried issue. Maybe he’s an outlier, but we have others playing as much who haven’t had this affliction (knocks on wood).
I suspect there will be a thorough review once the season wraps up because the current situation is unsustainable. Meanwhile, we’re anxiously waiting on updates about Jurrien Timber and Ben White. Their return could help mitigate Gabriel’s absence to some extent. Let’s see what Mikel Arteta says later at his pre-Everton press conference, and fingers crossed for some good news on those fronts. We’re all wishing Gabriel a speedy and smooth recovery; unfortunately, it’s becoming a common sentiment this season.
On a different note, the buzz around Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres coincides with Andrea Berta being named the club’s Sporting Director. It’s intriguing to now hear about our potential interest in Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams. Some reports suggest that Berta has already connected with the player’s agent. With Arsenal aiming to strengthen our forward options this summer, Williams is bound to create excitement.
It might not be a mere coincidence that Berta is tied to these players. While the Gyokeres news reflects Berta’s preferences—considering Arsenal’s past lukewarm stance on him—Williams is a different story. Mikel Arteta has long admired him, and his name has come up seriously in past transfer windows. This could represent a united effort with both manager and Sporting Director aligned. Even though Berta isn’t fluent in English yet, he and Arteta can certainly communicate in Spanish.
Williams does have a release clause and rather hefty wage demands, yet pursuing top attacking talent requires significant investment. With players like Thomas Partey and Jorginho likely exiting—and Partey’s substantial wages freeing up funds—there’s room to accommodate new talents. Williams, at just 22, has a lot of promise and with a fresh center-forward partnership, he’d be quite the addition.
Lastly, some important news about our Patreon proceeds. Continuing our tradition, 100% of April’s Patreon revenue will be donated to charity. There are so many worthy causes these days that we’ve decided to split our donations among four charitable organizations. These will aid individuals in North London, here in Ireland, and globally.
By signing up, you not only gain access to extra content but also support those in need. Even if you only stick around for a month, you’ll be making a meaningful impact. If you can contribute $6 this month (+ VAT where applicable), head over to patreon.com/arseblog.
From yesterday, we’ve got a new episode of The 30, recapping the week’s Premier League action, and today, we’ll release our Everton preview podcast. We’ll look at things from Arsenal’s perspective and chat with Rog from Men in Blazers about Everton’s last season at Goodison Park and more. For all the details on what you get from our Patreon, check out the membership page.
We’ll keep you updated with the press conference news later on at Arseblog News. Let’s hope there’s some uplifting news to help us cope with Gabriel’s absence.
Take care and have a great day!
