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Jamie Carragher says defender Chelsea let go for free was actually better than Gabriel Magalhaes

Charles Jones

Mon 5 May 2025 11:15, UK

Chelsea’s defence has been a serious problem this season.

Indeed, Ian Wright thinks Chelsea need a new centre-back, while Robert Sanchez has received consistent criticism for his performances in goal this season.

Chelsea are on the lookout for a new centre-half this summer, and Marc Guehi is on the Blues’ radar.

However, cast your mind back a few years, and Chelsea had a brilliant defensive unit.

Antonio Rudiger was brilliant for Chelsea, while Cesar Azpilicueta was one of the most reliable players at Stamford Bridge for a long time.

Speaking to Goal, Jamie Carragher has been comparing some of the modern day great Premier League defenders, and he made an interesting claim about Azpilicueta and one of Arsenal’s current stars.

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Jamie Carragher picks Cesar Azpilicueta over Gabriel Magalhaes

The pundit was asked to pick between a number of top-class defenders.

Interestingly, Carragher picked Gabriel Magalhaes over William Saliba, but, he would then go on to pick Azpilicueta ahead of Gabriel.

Gabriel has earned huge praise for his performances this season, but Azpilicueta does have the greater legacy in the Premier League it must be said.

Azpilicueta was brilliant for Chelsea for a long time before leaving the club on a free transfer in 2023.

Gabriel Magalhaes compared to Cesar Azpilicueta

Both of these defenders are modern day greats, but it’s easy to see why Carragher went for Azpilicueta over Gabriel here.

Simply put, the Spaniard has a better record, particularly in English football, than his Brazilian counterpart.

Azpilicueta won two league titles and a Champions League during his time at Chelsea. Meanwhile, Gabriel is yet to win a single trophy with Arsenal.

Statistically, Gabriel does outdo Azpilicueta in a lot of ways, but those trophy wins are crucial to any argument like this.

Of course, at the age of just, 27, Gabriel has time on his side and the ability to overtake Azpilicueta, but, at the moment, the Chelsea legend does have the edge in this argument given how much he has achieved in the game.

Unfortunately, Gabriel is currently out injured, and he won’t be able to impact Arsenal’s chances of winning the Champions League this season.