- Gabriel Paulista has signed a four-and-a-half year contract at Arsenal
- The defender will earn a basic salary of around £60,000-a-week at the Emirates
- He said: 'Fans can expect to find a Gabriel with a great will to help everyone.'
- Joel Campbell joins Villarreal on loan for rest of the season
- But club reveal Campbell has also signed new deal to stay for long term
Gabriel Paulista poses with an Arsenal shirt as the club unveil their new signing on Wednesday
The 24-year-old defender was granted a work permit despite earlier fears it would be rejected
Gabriel has already talked up his team ethic, and showed off his skills at the club's London Colney base
The former Villarreal defender put pen to paper on his contract before signing a club shirt
The Brazilian defender will be competing with Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker for a place in central defence
The 24-year-old gets on the ball for his former side in the recent Copa del Rey quarter-finals against Getafe
Gabriel
Paulista has hailed the chance to play in the Premier League as a dream
come true after joining Arsenal from Villarreal, with striker Joel
Campbell going to the Spanish club on loan for the rest of the season.
The
24-year-old Brazilian centre back was granted a work permit despite not
yet having played for his country and joins Arsene Wenger's side for
£11.2million on a four-and-a-half year deal. 'I want to thank God for
the opportunity,' he told the club's website. 'Thanks to God, this
wonderful club came to me, and they can count on me to be able to help
everybody here.'
Arsenal also
confirmed that Campbell's loan deal was complete, but delivered the
surprise news that the 22-year-old Costa Rica striker had signed a new,
long-term contract before heading to Spain.
Gabriel, who
will earn a basic salary of around £60,000-a-week at the Emirates,
admitted that playing in the Premier League was a dream come true and
revealed that he joined Arsenal after a personal request to sign by
Wenger.
'I came on
his request, on the coach’s request,' he told the club's website. 'He
asked to sign me and 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.'
Despite the
praise for his new boss, Gabriel also sees signs that Arsenal need to
get better and improve on their performances so far this season.
'The few
games I have watched and witnessed, during the season, I saw that there
is room for improvement,' he said. 'We have a lot to conquer because
Arsenal is a very big club, we must always be at the top. I think it’s a
club that will keep growing throughout the season, and that over the
next few years we will be able to win important titles.'
Gabriel will
primarily compete with the likes of Laurent Koscielny and Per
Mertesacker for a place at centre-half, a task he admits is 'not going
to be easy' - but he can also play on the right or left side of the
backline.
'I am very
anxious and that is something that is normal to a young player, playing
at such a high level,' he added. '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.'
He was an
ever-present in the Yellow Submarine's defence until being left out of
the squad to face Levante last Saturday, with his move to the Emirates
Stadium at an advanced stage.
'I came from
a club that is not that big in Brazilian football (Esporte Clube
Vitoria),' said Gabriel. '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.'
Despite
being restricted to just three starts for the Gunners this season,
Campbell has penned a new deal. A club statement said the move was for
the young forward 'to gain more valuable first-team experience'.
He had
enjoyed a successful spell on loan at Olympiacos last season, where he
made an impression in the Champions League and scored 11 goals in 43
appearances. He went on to play a part in his country's surprise
qualification from the group stages - at England's expense - at the
World Cup last summer.
GABRIEL PAULISTA Q&A
The following is a transcript of an interview with Gabriel Paulista by Arsenal Media.
Gabriel, welcome to Arsenal. How does it feel to have signed for the club?
'First of
all I want to thank God for the opportunity. It’s another dream in my
career that has come true. I have only just arrived but I am already
feeling really good here in London. I’m at a top club so that gives me
more strength to be able to work and carry on, to be able to conquer
much more in my career.'
What do you know about Arsenal?
'I always
watched Arsenal games and I could always see that it was a really big
club with a 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.'
What appeals to you most about playing for the club?
'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 be able 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. And I don’t know, I just got this call -
Arsenal came to sign me, so to me, for my work, for everything I have
been doing, things are just happening for me. Getting here to such a big
club is so gratifying.'
That’s good, it just happened out of the blue?
'Yes, in our
pre-season we played two friendly games here in England, so from then
on it just started. Something came over me, I can’t explain it… good
things, I just wanted to play here in England. I didn’t think of any
teams or anything, I just knew I wanted to play in the Premier League.
Thanks to God, this wonderful club came to me, and they can count on me
to be able to help everybody here.'
How much are you looking forward to playing at a ground like the Emirates Stadium?
'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.'
How influential was Arsene Wenger in your decision to come to club?
'To me it’s
something big… I came on his request, on the coach’s request. He asked
to sign me and 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.'
What have you made of Arsenal’s performances this season?
'The few
games I have watched and witnessed, during the season, I saw that there
is room for improvement. We have a lot to conquer because Arsenal is a
very big club, we must always be at the top. I think it’s a club that
will keep growing throughout the season, and that over the next few
years we will be able to win important titles.'
You will
be competing with the likes of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny for
a place in the team. How highly do you rate them?
'I’m coming
to a very big club and I know that I will play with great players. While
respecting everyone, I want to play for my place in the team. I know
that is not going to be easy, I must show my potential, I have to show
that I can be in the group, that the manager can count on me. The same
goes to all my team-mates. I will carry on the same way I have been
since the beginning of my career. I have always respected everyone to
get to where I am in my career, and I want even more.'
How confident are you that Arsenal can compete for biggest prizes?
'I know that
we have great players of a high standard, players who are real stars,
because if they were not stars they wouldn’t be here. Arsenal is a very
big team and it must always be competing for the biggest titles in the
world. I have to repeat it - Arsenal must fight for all the most
important titles around.'
Finally, have you got a message for the Arsenal fans?
'I am
arriving at a big club like this 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 also think that. 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.'
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