Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes should be nowhere near an exit door this summer, and he’ll show that against Crystal Palace.
That’s off the back of reports that the likes of Real Madrid and clubs in Saudi Arabia hold interest in the centre-back.
A lot of fans and pundits were shocked to see Gabriel on the bench for the Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
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Gabriel was a stalwart of Mikel Arteta’s side that went toe-to-toe with Manchester City for much of last season.
And although Gabriel was dropped, it was a game-specific line up rather than a fault of the Brazilian.
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With the additions of Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice this summer, Mikel Arteta now has a lot more tactical flexibility.
Arteta essentially chose to drop a centre-back in favour of a midfielder in a game Arsenal expected to dominate.
However, one week on against Crystal Palace, we can expect Gabriel to swiftly return to the line up.
And if Arsenal players are linked with an exit every time they are rotated this season, it will be a long season ahead.
Arsenal can’t entertain a Gabriel exit this summer, he’ll show that against Crystal Palace
As with much of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal journey, clear parallels can be made to Manchester City’s success.
Ruben Dias, one of the world’s best centre backs, hasn’t always been required on a weekly basis by Pep Guardiola.
Did that stop him starting the Champions League final? No.
Arteta will make surprise omissions at Arsenal this season, and it’s all part of their progress.
‘Untouchable’ Gabriel should once again be a crucial part of the Arsenal’s eleven against Crystal Palace on Monday.
And he similarly could drop out of the team again when Arteta deploys a more offensive game plan in another game.
Arsenal are evolving and there’s bound to be decisions questioned along the way.
It’s not too long ago that Mikel Arteta was being criticised for leaving out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
And whilst that’s an entirely different situation, it shows that Arteta isn’t afraid of making big calls at important times.