Earlier last week Arsenal fans breathed a sigh of relief when their club finally announced the signing of Villarreal centre-back Gabriel Paulista. The Gunners had been linked to the Brazilian ace for a while, but concerns regarding his work permit status seemed to put the dampeners on any potential deal.
Luckily, Arsene Wenger and co. have managed to figure things out. An £11.3m deal has been agreed with Villarreal and the UK government were willing to offer Gabriel Paulista a work permit. All that business proved to be a lot of fuss and bother about nothing.
So now we can take a look at the player himself and whether we think he’s going to be a good fit for The Gunners. My initial feeling is that this is an astute piece of business by Arsene Wenger.
Most managers around Europe will tell you that there’s currently a dearth of quality defenders in the game. Players who do stand-out tend to have extortionate price-tags (the Mats Hummels and Raphael Varanes of the world). Even some of those big-ticket players tend to be inconsistent (case in point: Eliaquim Mangala).
But Arsene Wenger has found a quality option at a decent price. In the 19 La Liga games that Paulista played last season, his side only conceded 17 goals. That’s fairly impressive for a Spanish team that isn’t Barcelona or Real Madrid. He’s quick along the turf, competitive and good in the air. If he bulks up a little, he’s going to be a great fit for the Premier League.
The general consensus among Villarreal fans is that Paulista has been a much improved player this season. Now that he’s 24-years-old he really seems to be coming into his own. Perhaps he really is ready for the big time? One thing’s for sure: the best years of his career are ahead of him and they’re going to be spent in an Arsenal shirt.
That’s got to fill even the most cold hearted fan with some sense of joy.
Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker need some more competition. Gabriel Paulista will give them exactly that. This has got to be a good thing.
What’s your take? Is Gabriel Paulista the right man for Arsenal?
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