Danny Murphy explains why Arsenal will not miss Gabriel Magalhaes and he’s spot on

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Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes’ absence due to injury is being viewed as a massive blow.

The Gunners have a very difficult week of football coming up. They face Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the Premier League, with a Champions League clash against Bayern Munich sandwiched between those fixtures.

Mikel Arteta would love to have all his players available for those games, but Arsenal’s terrible luck with injuries has struck them again.

The biggest miss will be Gabriel, but Danny Murphy believes that may not be the case, thanks to Piero Hincapie.

Danny Murphy says Arsenal will be fine without Gabriel Magalhaes because of Piero Hincapie

Arsenal signed Hincapie on a season-long loan deal from Bayer Leverkusen.

The Ecuador international was a key player for the German side under Xabi Alonso when they won the Bundesliga title in 2024, and it was only a matter of time before a bigger club snapped him up.

Andrea Berta personally convinced the Arsenal board to sign Hincapie, and the 23-year-old could now save Arsenal’s season by filling in for Gabriel.

Murphy has revealed that he has watched a fair bit of Hincapie, and he seems impressed. The pundit thinks he can do a job for the Gunners.

He said on talkSPORT: “They have got the lad, Hincapie, who they brought in from Leverkusen.

“He’s only 23, but he’s quick, he’s strong. They spent big money on him. He’s a hell of a talent. I’ve seen bits of him at Leverkusen, and I was having a look at some of him this morning.”

Murphy was then asked if Arsenal could afford to be without Gabriel for two months.

He replied: “They can if Hincapie hits the ground running. He can play, the lad. He’s quick and he’s strong and he can pass. He’s made for the Premier League.”

Arsenal fans should not be worried about Piero Hincapie – here’s why

Gabriel Magalhaes is arguably the best central defender in the world, so it is natural for Arsenal fans to be worried about his absence.

However, Hincapie is an experienced player as well.

Despite only being 23, the Leverkusen loanee has played nearly 250 senior games for club and country before. He has come up against some big players and has impressed.

Yes, having Gabriel available would be ideal, but Hincapie is more than capable of containing Tottenham’s attackers without any trouble on Sunday.