Jamie Carragher names Premier League's 'most influential' player after Arsenal win

View 2 Images

Jamie Carragher has claimed that Gabriel Magalhaes is the most influential player in the Premier League following his timely Arsenal return. The Brazilian was restored to the Gunners’ line-up on Tuesday evening vs Aston Villa , having missed six league games with a hamstring injury.

And he enjoyed a dream return to the starting XI by scoring the opening goal in a 4-1 win against title rivals Aston Villa . Issuing his verdict, Carragher claimed that the Brazilian centre-back is one of the most transformative players in the entire division.

Speaking on Sky Sports , the former Liverpool star said: "It felt like more than three points, psychologically. The feeling around the training ground tomorrow will be completely different.

"Gabriel being back is huge. Before I've said that he's the most influential player in the Premier League, and we've seen it again tonight. It was fantastic for everybody in that stadium tonight."

Carragher is not the only one who was full of praise for Gabriel and his performance. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta also hailed his defender for his display and the way he managed to keep a dangerous Villa attack relatively quiet.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “He comes back from an injury of six weeks that probably should have been a bit longer, and plays against probably the team that is the hardest to control, especially the front players and the striker that they have, in terms of their movements and he impacted the game in an incredible way, both defending and in the opposition box.”

Arteta will hope to have his standout players available for the rest of the week as his side attempt to keep hold of top spot in the Premier League. The Gunners are next in action on Saturday as they travel to Bournemouth .

View 2 Images

Will Arsenal win the Premier League? Share your thoughts in the comments below

One man who could return is Declan Rice , the England man having missed the win against Villa with a slight knee injury. Asked if he could be back, Arteta replied: “It depends.

“The swelling has to come right down for him to have the chance to function. He wasn't able to do that today yet. He's improving but let's see what happens in the next couple of days.”

Rice picked up the issue in the 2-1 win against Brighton earlier this week and while it is not expected to sideline him for an extended period, it was severe enough to see him sidelined vs Villa.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.