Erling Haaland might have something to say to Jamie Carragher after his latest claim about Arsenal.
Haaland’s searing record at Manchester City is extending week by week, as the Norwegian headed into matchday nine of the Premier League season with 11 goals to his name.
Having seen how electric the 25-year-old has been so far, it’s understandable to see why Arsenal have been warned about Haaland in the Premier League title race.
Though there aren’t any strikers as potent as the Man City superstar right now, Jamie Carragher actually thinks one of Mikel Arteta’s players is more dangerous.
Jamie Carragher thinks Gabriel Magalhaes is more influential than Erling Haaland
Viktor Gyokeres shares some traits with Haaland, but it’s not Arsenal’s striker who is keeping up with Pep Guardiola’s talisman this season.
Instead, Carragher believes that Gabriel Magalhaes is the player to watch in the Premier League at present, dubbing the Brazilian the most ‘influential’.
“I think you can make an argument for the fact that he [Gabriel] could be seen as the most influential player, probably in the Premier League right now,” Carragher said to Sky Sports Main Event [26/10/2025 13:29] before Arsenal clashed with Crystal Palace.
“When you think of the clean sheet, the defensive record Arsenal have, and also his threat on set pieces is as influential as anyone, maybe even Haaland.”
Carragher made it clear that he believes that Gabriel is more of a problem to teams than Haaland, which is praise indeed for the Arsenal defender.
It’s high, but unsurprising, praise from Carragher, as Gabriel is unstoppable from set-pieces.
Haaland and Gabriel have their own rivalry
Both players are crucial to their teams, but Haaland might have something to say about Carragher rating Gabriel above him with regard to influence.
Gabriel and Haaland have clashed multiple times over the years, with the rivalry hitting boiling point when Arsenal drew 2-2 with Man City last season.
The Brazilian scored in the fixture, as did Haaland, but the real drama came when John Stones scored in injury time.
Haaland taunted Arsenal after the draw, taking aim at Arteta with the infamous ‘stay humble’ comment.
The striker didn’t have the last laugh, however, as Gabriel wanted to unleash war on Haaland and City, which the Gunners did, beating Guardiola’s side 5-1 in the return fixture in 2024/25.
As rivals, the two players will relish their rivalry on the pitch, with both aware of their importance in the Premier League title race.
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