Paulista To
Sure Up Arsenal Defence
Personal information
Full name: Gabriel Armando de Abreu
Date of birth: 26 November 1990
Age: 24
Place of birth: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Height: 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Centre back
Club information
Current team: Arsenal
Number: 5
Youth career 2009: Taboao da Serra
2009–2010 Vitoria
Senior career2010–2013: Vitoria 141 Appearances, 1 goal
2013–2015: Villarreal 50 Appearances, 0 goals
2015– Arsenal 0 Appearances, 0 goals
Arsenal have announced the signing of Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista on a
long-term deal from Spanish side Villarreal for an estimated 11.2 million
pounds. Gabriel is the man that the Gunners have set their sights on and a deal
has now been completed for the 24-year-old. Arsenal may have found the defender
for whom they have been looking for so long. One who loves defending; rarely
gets injured, whose leap gets him to most headers, whose stride carries him
confidently out of defence and whose rapid development has earned Villarreal a
huge profit in less than two years.
Born in Sao Paulo, Gabriel Paulista started his top-flight career with Esporte
Clube Vitoria, graduating through the youth set-up before making his league
debut in 2010 aged 19. Later that same year he appeared in the Copa do Brasil
final as a right-back against Santos, which Vitoria lost over two legs, where
he was tasked with dealing with Barcelona star Neymar. Three years later
Gabriel helped Vitoria to the 2013 Campeonato Baiano title, having been
utilised on the left and right-hand side of a three-man backline. After
establishing himself as a regular at Vitoria and augmenting his reputation
among European scouts. He was voted the best central defender in the tournament
and in August 2013 signed a five-year contract with Villarreal for£2.5million. Three
months later he made his debut in a draw with eventual champions Atletico
Madrid and has not looked back. Gabriel’s style of play is thought to be
ideally suited to the demands of the Premier League. The Brazilian’s
performances this season contributed significantly to Villarreal’s recent surge
up to sixth in the table and progress through to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals
– leading the team to a 17-game unbeaten run. The Yellow Submarines boasted one
of the meanest defences in the division having conceded just 17 goals from 20
matches and Gabriel was at the heart of that backline. The defender’s
versatility will have appealed to Wenger; Gabriel is mainly right-footed but is
also able to operate at left back as he has done so on two occasions for
Villarreal this term. The player has also built a glowing reputation as a
powerful, pacy, ball-playing central defender who reads the game brilliantly,
is strong in the air and capable of man-marking if required. Those attributes
would appear to make Gabriel ideally suited to the physical demands of the
Premier League yet he remains a player with great potential who is far from the
finished product. This may explain why Brazil have so far resisted the
temptation to hand him a first call-up to the national team. There was a
clamour among the local journalists to know what type of defender they were
getting when Gabriel turned up at Villarreal. He’s definitely quick — both in
his legs and his head. On the ball, as must be one of Wenger’s prerequisites,
he’s able to play the sort of football which will be conducive to Arsenal’s
style. His flexibility across defence — he’s played in a back three and as a
full-back, but is more used to playing in the middle of a back four — will be a
welcome addition to an Arsenal side that have been forced into cobbling
together several unfamiliar combinations at the back this season. But in time,
once he’s settled into life in England, the reported fee states he’ll be
expected to become a key figure in the side.
Villarreal’s finances could allow them to turn down €15m (£11.2m) offers for
players who cost just €3.5m 18 months ago, but still they insisted on Joel
Campbell being part of the deal, such was the reluctance to part with Gabriel.
The defender was invited into the team photo for one last time at the weekend
as he delivered his emotional goodbye to supporters. He is aggressive, not just
defensively but in terms of attacking set pieces, and is versatile enough to
play at left-back when Villarreal have needed him there. For a team who have
had to play left-back Nacho Monreal in the centre of defence this season, he
will be a welcome addition to an Arsenal dressing room that, fortunately for
him, is not short of Spanish speakers. Gabriel will settle quickly; he knows
this is his big chance. Gabriel had been ever-present for Villarreal in La Liga
this season and is match-fit, although it is acknowledged by Wenger that a
period of adjustment to English football is likely to be necessary. Wenger,
though, will want Gabriel ready as quickly as possible as Arsenal prepare to
compete across three competitions over the coming weeks.