Arsenal fans have claimed centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes was indirectly throwing shade at one of his colleagues when discussing the club’s stuttering run-in last season.
Last term, Arsenal looked on course to win their first Premier League title in 19 years, only for their campaign to be partly derailed by an injury to William Saliba.
Saliba had been having an exceptional debut season in the Premier League before suffering a season-ending back injury as the Gunners were knocked out of the Europa League by Sporting CP.
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The rest of the season saw Rob Holding slot in alongside Gabriel at centre-back.
When asked by the French channel Canal+ about Saliba’s injury, Gabriel smiled and said: “Don’t remind me of that please.”
Saliba added: “We were confident. It hurt the team but let's hope this year no one will get injured.”
On Twitter Arsenal fans have claimed Gabriel may not want to be reminded of playing alongside Holding.
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One person said: “Gabriel was really in the trenches next to you know who in the run-in.”
Another joked: “Look at his reaction. The man suffered physically and spiritually.”
A third said: “Nothing will ever match the head-loss I suffered during that run.”
Holding moved to Crystal Palace last summer, but has since been restricted to just one appearance due to injuries.
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This weekend Arsenal returned to the Premier League summit, upon claiming a dramatic late winner against Brentford on Saturday.
Their victory was followed by a 1-1 draw between title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, which ensured that the Gunners claimed the top spot at the end of the weekend.
Next up for Mikel Arteta’s side is a Champions League second-leg tie against Porto at the Emirates on Tuesday.
Arsenal will be hoping to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg and qualify for the Champions League quarter-final for the first time in 14 years.
Topics: Arsenal, Premier League, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Europa League, Champions League, Fan Reactions
Chris Byfield