Arsenal look as if they could be close to a major deal in this January window as the coach of Villarreal has confirmed that their centre back, Gabriel Paulista, is the subject of interest from The Gunners.
The Independent quotes the Villareal manager as saying:
“I hadn’t considered selling Gabriel, it’s bad news from a sporting point of view,” he said. “If both Gabriel and the club believe that his sale to Arsenal is the best for all parties, we will accept.”
But The Guardian has added to the story buy suggesting that there could be a problem with a work permit given that the Brazilian, born in Sao Paulo, has never played football at international level.
Arsenal move for Gabriel Paulista hinges on work permit snag
This source says that the clubs are still some way apart in their respective valuations of the player and that Arsenal want to pay as much as 10m Euros less than the 20m that the selling club is apparently holding out for.
There is an appeals process with regards non-EU players who haven’t appeared in the requisite amount of games for their country. Arsenal would then have to prove that the player is an exceptional talent who can offer something that an EU counterpart couldn’t. You feel then that this one has some way to run before a conclusion either way.
And, at 24, there is obviously still scope for international football for a player who looks to have decent technique combined with a big frame.
Let’s see some of Paulista’s better moments for his Spanish club. Arsenal fans: is this the heavyweight defensive addition that you need or is Arsene once more skimping on the defensive areas of the squad?
