Arsenal, today, have announced the signing of centre back Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal. The fee is believed to be around £11.3million and the deal sees Joel Campbell go the other way on loan. The loan fee is rumoured to be around £750,000.
Arsenal confirmed the deal was done on their website earlier. They also went to twitter to report the news:
“It's official - @Arsenal have signed Gabriel from Villarreal!
In an interview with Arsenal.com, Gabriel spoke about his playing time in Brazil and his love of the Premier League:
"I came from a club that is not that big in Brazilian football. I went to Spanish football and that was another dream come true, to play in Europe.”
"A while ago I had a really huge desire to play in the Premier League, so since that point I put it in my head that I really wanted to do it. I had a talk with my family and I told them that it was my dream to play in the Premier League. Getting here to such a big club is so gratifying.”
He also spoke of his joy at coming to the Emirates:
“I always watched Arsenal games and I could always see that it was a really big club with great infrastructure. So I think that what I thought hasn’t surprised me a lot, because I arrived to a very big infrastructure. It’s a huge club, even more so than I expected. I am very happy with everything - with all the people I have been dealing with since I arrived.”
“I am very anxious and that is something that is normal to a young player, playing at such a high level. So I am very anxious to be able to start at this huge, beautiful stadium, a stadium that the fans come to, to be able to support us. It’s something I’ve always noticed when I watch Arsenal. I’m really looking forward to training with my new team-mates, to get to know everyone and to have a good start.”
"I am arriving at a big club and the fans can expect to find a Gabriel with a great will to help everyone. Not just thinking of me as an individual, because to me that is not important. I care more about helping the team and my team-mates. I want to help everyone, so the fans can expect a Gabriel that on the field has a lot of will to be able to help the team win important things."
He also spoke of the influence Arsene Wenger had on the deal:
“To me it’s something big… I came on his request, on the coach’s request. He asked to sign me and to me that gives me more strength and the will to be able to work. I see that he’s a coach that has been here for many years and this is important, not only for the team but also for the club. This is very important for everyone that works here in the club, to have a coach like this.”
Gabriel’s deal finally went through following the approval of a work permit for the Brazilian. It is believed that Gabriel is to wear the number 5 shirt for Arsenal however this remains to be seen.
This is certainly a great signing for Arsenal. The defender can be played along the entire back line and is known to be a tough tackler. This is just the signing Wenger needed this season and to see the deal pushed over the line is great news for all Arsenal fans.
