Arsenal have completed the signing of Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal.
The 24 year old Brazilian joins on a long-term contract for a fee believed be in the region of £11.5m + add-ons/incentives.
Gabriel made 45 appearances for the Spanish side since joining from Vitória in 2013 and his performances at the heart of their defence this season caught the eye of Arsenal’s scouts and Arsene Wenger as the club sought defensive cover.
Speaking to the official site the player said, “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.”
The club have confirmed that he’s received a work permit, so it’s just the final bits and pieces of registration etc that have to be completed now.
Welcome aboard, Gabriel.
Welcome to the greatest club in England!
Welcome home son.the only team that is still true to what football has always been about.
Our players stopped drinking pints and eating pies a long time ago.
Shhhh. The window’s not closed yet.
The smoking compensates for that though
he looks like martin ‘i roar at horse-face ruud’ keown. anyone?
Welcome! To the greatest club in the world!
Yeah, welcome Gabriel!
Finally, I honestly thought I’d see my first born get married before they announced Gabriel on the Arsenal website. Anyway let’s hope he’s the tough, no nonsense bastard defender we’ve all wanted and smash Diego Costa when we play the scum at the Emirates.
Don’t know if this is what you were pointing up but it shows that he is definitely up to smashing that oaf: https://twitter.com/GoonerLDN/status/559313550641229824/photo/1
What a great sight! Costa really is a dirty thug. Every time I’ve seen Chelsea play this season he has a couple incidents of dirty/cowardly play. I really loathe the man. Fits in well with the rest of those blue cunts…
Comment: My source told me that during the medical, the doctor held gabby’s gonads in his hands and asked him to cough. Keeping with the tradition of our players being delicate, as soon as he coughed, both his nuts fell to the ground. And then it took ages to attach them back onto gabby. Hence the delay. But everythings fine now.
Dude what…
So at least he recovers quickly?
You have to wonder if the delay is because the Arsenal medical team have been ordered to do a complete DNA profile, so now we know all of the weird diseases or genetic vulnerabilities a player might have.
If the past is any guide, if anything can go wrong with one of our signings; it will, so we can be ready for whatever is going to break.
They need to check his DNA before Xavi starts blathering on about it!
Fan-f*cking-tastic! Now, let us get our worldclass defensive midfielder in the summer!
Why all the hate? 🙁
A lot of people around here are of the opinion that the Coq has filled that hole, I imagine that’s why the down votes.
Personally I’ve been impressed with the lad but let’s see how he does the rest of this season before calling it job done
Plus we need more than one, so Schneiderlin will come in.
I prefer Kevin Grosskreutz. More versetile and a boyhood gooner.
look forward to seeing him play. He’ll be amazing I’m sure.
Our squads potential is frightening! Welcome to arsenal Gabriel
Now just keep them injury free..
Wooow….I did not see that coming!
Welcome Gabriel!
I expected Gabriel, Bielik and poltergeist, but who is that fourth kit for?
Niceone. One thing left to be done; giroud and ramsey to give gabriel few tips on “hairstyle” and his is 100% good to go. 🙂
Damn you for forgetting Mr Lego hair himself!
So happy right now.. :’)
Everybody loves a signing. Did you know our new player has never made a mistake? Is crafted from the cells of Maldini and Djalma Santos, leaps like a salmon, tackles like a Bull qualified as a surgeon.
He makes the other players look handsome. So helping already.
Love that in a defender.
Our very own nosferatu.
COYG!
I was going to say he’s possibly one of the ugliest men I’ve ever seen! That’s probably good in a defender though. Koscielny isn’t exactly handsome. I’m sure the fact that he now plays for Arsenal and is very rich makes up for that though!
Nothing to lose if it is necessary for him to put his head in a dangerous position.
Perfect attribute for a defender (see Keown).
I always think that Martin Keown should communicate in a mixture of grunts and sign language, given his rather…simian appearance. I love the fact that he’s probably the most erudite and considerate former players on the punditry circuit, and seems to be a very civilised man.
I think Gabriel will fit very well at Arsenal. From what I’ve seen from him so far and from what he said in the article he seems like a hardworking team player. Not as cuddly as Andre Santos (then again who is?) but a more modern football type brazilian.
Quite stunned really! No haggling. Paid full price. No deadline day madness. Got him well before closing. Most importantly, what a player! The next Keown? Well done Arsenal! Welcome Gabriel!
Medium haggling, we got him for a fair amount less than his release clause.
and the euro being weaker compared to the pound didn’t hurt either. I read somewhere that the currency fluctuations between early January and now wound up making a difference of a few million quid (in our favor).
Wenger does have an economics degree right?
Just the right amount of haggling then
The next Lauren im thinking. Mean and solid. Good luck fucking with one of our boys while this guy is on the pitch.
So Wenger finally got the defender we all wanted and had a plan B defense plan against a big team. Hmm I wonder what else we can whinge about?? Oh yeah a DM!! You still didn’t get us a DM, Wenger Out !! (FYI Sarc)
I just hope our fans share the same patience with him as he’s shown in his career to get here. Sounds like an honest chap and clearly a fans favourite after only 18 months at Villarreal. Let’s hope he can do it in the red and white. Welcome to Arsenal, Gabriel.
I thought you were talking about Wenger for a moment there..
We really are building a squad capable of great things. Come on Arsenal
“Capable of great things” not just in the future, but this season too.
By mid-May I have a funny feeling we’ll all be clamouring for tickets / flights / hotel accommodation in Berlin, to see a certain football match scheduled for June 6, 2015!
So they’ve finally set the date for Cygan’s testimonial.
Already speaking about himself in the third person….it’s a good sign.
The “a Gabriel” in fact stands for “Alpha Gabriel”, the best of all the existing Gabriels – so should be written “A Garbriel”
Can’t wait for him to rip apart Costa to shreds! Welcome Gabriel!
LANS
ANS
Actual New Signing.
Did I read right that Joel signed a new long term deal before heading off too? New signings, tying up contracts without a fuss, beating City… I don’t recognise but I like this Arsenal!
Deary Me, that was suspiciously easy. Seems like a signing in the Kosceilny mould. Potentially an excellent player, certainly in good form in a settled defence but we’ll have to be patient, mistakes are coming as he settles in. Fantastic potential and attributes though.
Funny looking fella though, hopefully this will balance the trend for good looking nice blokes in the squad. Forget the fabled DM, what we need are some real bastards, that can maybe you know, play DM.
Welcome to the best London club. And please no two shirts jokes. Now a sissoko and we will be tearing em apart COYG
pfffft Sissoko.
Not much movement this January at all from any team. Unless I’m missing something, the only significant deals I think of are Gabriel, Bony to City, and Kramanic to Leicester.
Oh, and Sanogo to Palace on loan is huge too, of course.
So, kudos to us, I want to say.
Hope he Martin Keowns the knees Off a few spuds
Welcome Gabriel. I hope you have a lot of success here.
On another note, what’s the idea holding up the the front of an Arsenal jersey, even though he’s already wearing one? Same thing they had Bielik do
He turned up in the one he is wearing*. He loves us that much.
*probably not true but when does a story have to be true these days.
Just noting as the two pics of Gabriel and Bielik holding jerseys in the transfers links, those two have extremely different head shapes……wow.
Unfortunately, he has had both legs and arms broken in training today (Diego Costa sneaked in) and may miss the next two seasons.
Welsh Jesus and Angel Gabriel. Wenger visiting the Pope. God is on our side. people.
Dennis certainly is on our side.
And we’ve Saint Cazorla, and Saint Alexis!
Onward Krystian soldiers.
And a Coq.
I believe that everything we have seen from Arsene over the past two years: -one high dollar addition in the summer (Ozil and Alexis) -plus 10-20 million pound role players to fill out the squad depth (Giroud, Welbeck, Chambers, Gabriel) -showing faith in affordable, experienced players (Arteta, Flamini, Rosicky) -bringing through young players; this part of the project has been ongoing for 4-6 years (Ramsey, Ox, Theo, Jack) All is part of his 5 year, post-stadium debt, plan for returning Arsenal to the top tier of World Football. He has played all his cards with the goal of a PL… Read more »
best comment i read for a long time.
yep, i agree….best comment by a mile
I liked this comment so much I want to have a bunch of little boys and girls with it
Well, talking about Arsene’s legacy, Henry will be attending his coaching course in Wales soon. So, Wenger waiting for the 3rd return of the king?
Best fucking comment I’ve seen for days!
My sentiments exactly. Very well put marra.
What a signing looks good as well. Welcome to Arsenal football club. Now a defensive midfielder and a keeper we will be unbelievable.
Slightly amusing tendency to refer to himself in the 3rd person. Hope that becomes a theme. That’s the Gabriel BillyBatts wants to see.
Great news! Now lets hope he finds a decent barber, that trim is horrendous
Wow…..he is ugly….almost as Diego Costa
I always expect a Gabriel, Gabriel but I hope you do a Gabriel proud.
*Dreaaaaaams can come ture* SWOONS!
OOOOooosspinaaa!!!
For the first time for almost a decade, we are now not deficient in numbers in the squad. We have at least two alternates for every position. CF – Giroud, Welbeck, (Sanogo) RW – Ox, Walcott, (Akpom) LW – Alexis, Gnabry, (Campbell) AM – Santi, Ozil (Zelalem) CM – Ramsey, Jack, Rosicky (Crowley) DM – Coquelin, Flamini, Arteta (Bielik) RB – Bellerin, Debuchy LB – Monreal, Gibbs CB – Per, Chambers (Hayden) CB – Koscielny, Gabriel GK – Ospina, Szsc, Martinez This has been 5 years in the making. Wenger embarked upon a restructuring program to : 1) Add experience… Read more »
Granted I wouldn’t be rushing to put him in the Arsenal calendar any time soon but this is a very promising acquisition.
This ‘wearing a shirt and holding up another of the same shirt’ must be the official new signing pose.
Anyways, welcome to the mighty Arsenal!
that was gonna be my comment 🙁
Good use of the word ‘gratifying’.
Also pleased to see that he’s lost the eyepatch. Not what you want to see on a defender.
Welcome
I haven’t seen too much of him, but anyone referring to themselves in 3rd person is either delusional or brilliant. I’m going to assume he’s the latter. Welcome to the Club, Gabriel!
LANS!
This culminates a restructuring program that Wenger has embarked upon since he realised the likes of Denilson and Bendtner were not going to cut the mustard for us. He initiated it with Arteta adding experience and steel, then the likes of Per and Koscielny adding exprience to every position. His work was however hampered by key departures for a while beginning with Nasri and Cesc. We are now ample in numbers across the squad and have added true quality thanks to our new financial clout with Ozil and Alexis signing. Importantly, Wenger has also continued to add potentially exciting younger… Read more »
Yeah we pretty much read it the first time.
what an ugly twat though, he will fit right in with Koscieleny. I suppose he has nothing to lose when he nuts Diego Costa when he rolls up at the emirates.
He gets way more trim than you bra
bra as in brassiere?
His song has to be adapted from one by Gabrielle.
I like how he refers to himself in the third person.
Why doesnt he atleast show the other side of the shirt he is holding up? Anyway excellent signing! I am very excited to see how he does here and hopefully he integrates instantly into the 1st team like alexis!
We need some more players that talk about themselves in the third person.
Willing to bet that Giroud does already.
Great news. We haven’t had such a hard and ugly looking bastard in defence sine Keown. It augurs well. If that wanker Costa turns up at ours with his stampy feet he’ll get them chewed off, the gormless looking fuck face.
Egg head silvestre?