Arsenal Football Club have announced the signing of Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal.
The centre-back has been linked with The Gunners all window and it emerged over the weekend that a deal was in place between the two parties.
However, a work permit was blocking the move from going through, but after that was cleared, Paulista’s deal was ready to be finalised.
As part of the £11.3million deal, Arsenal forward Joel Campbell has gone the other way on loan until the end of the season.
Gabriel had this to say on joining Arsenal: “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.
“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.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles