All eyes on Arsène Wenger! That is what it very much feels like in this transfer window. As with most transfer windows for Arsenal Football Club, there are deficiencies to Arsène Wenger’s squad which must be addresses – and none more so than the position of centre-back. Laurent Koscielny’s stop-start season – a result of chronic Achilles problems – has been of great worry and with Mathieu Debuchy’s three month absence, a defensive addition is not only a necessity, but also long overdue.
One name which has bobbed up and down throughout January is that of Gabriel Paulista, Villarreal’s combative yet stylish centre-back who, according to The Daily Telegraph, has ‘impressed Arsène Wenger hugely’ this season. Arsenal have been continuously linked to the 24-year-old throughout the window since L’Équipe spoke of Arsenal’s interest earlier in January, but reports seem to have intensified of late, with Kike Marín leading the line: ‘Gabriel [Paulista] wants to go to Arsenal, but Villarreal requires [his buy-out] clause: €20 million.’ Those rumours were further substantiated as reports suggested Arsenal were very much interested and Villarreal were very much intent on getting €20 million, just over £15 million, for a player who’s become a big part of their squad since joining them in 2013.
This rumour isn’t consigned to the rumour columns of newspapers – Gabriel Paulista has substantiated the link to Arsenal himself! Having previously confirmed Arsenal’s interest, on Tuesday he revealed a little bit more. “The subject is being discussed by my agent and the club.” He didn’t conceal his preferences either. “If I go to Arsenal it will be excellent. But if it’s not finalised then I am relaxed,” the Brazilian said. “Playing in the Premier League is one of my dreams. I have spoken to my agent about this.”
There are distinct parallels between Gabriel Paulista and Laurent Koscielny, the centre-back he could potentially be deputising for. His style of defending is very much similar to the Frenchman. He reads the game well and on his primarily a ‘front-foot defender,’ anticipating situations, pinpointing passes to intercept or to pocket a striker. He possesses good pace, like Koscielny, which gives him some security when taking risks, while his distribution is tidy, if somewhat raw. Paulista could also make the move to Arsenal at the same age as Koscielny did – 24-years-old. With the Janaury transfer market understandably deprived of a single world class centre-back, Arsène Wenger may have to identify a centre-back of relative obscurity and watch him develop – as he did so well with Laurent Koscielny.
Back in August, Arsène Wenger admitted that South American centre-backs had the edge over their European counterparts. “If you make a classification of a world-class striker today, that’s in favour of South America. Central defenders as well. I believe that South America is ahead.” It is an opinion he attributes to their ‘fighting’ qualities, their passion, their ‘street footballer’ traits. This may well be a factor in Arsène’s thinking.
An Arsenal transfer could never be this clear-cut, though. Worries lie regarding his eligibility for a work permit. As he is yet to be capped for Brazil and doesn’t hold an European passport, Arsenal may have to follow a similar route to the one they did with Ryô Miyaichi, applying for a work permit on the ‘special talent’ basis. We can only assume that Arsenal have sought assurances over Paulista’s propensity to gaining a work permit, something which Gunnerblog alluded to on Tuesday afternoon.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, reports emanating from Spain – Spanish radio channel, Cadena SER, to be precise – stated that Arsenal were on the verge of completing a deal worth around €20 million for Paulista following ‘several days’ of negotiations between the two clubs. They also stated that Arsenal will triple the wage packet which Gabriel Paulista currently earns per week on the eastern coast of Spain.
While the validity of these claims are yet to be established, it further highlights just how quickly the transfer tide can change. As ever, Read Arsenal will have our finger firmly pushed on the transfer pulse of Arsenal’s transfer window so far…
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