Gabriel Paulista has been
granted a work permit and can now complete his £13.4 million move from
Villarreal to Arsenal, according to reports.
Gabriel
Paulista of Villarreal in action during a pre season friendly match between
Swansea City and Villarreal
The Brazilian defender has not represented his country at senior level, so
could not be automatically awarded a work permit - but he has now been given
the green light to make the move to the Emirates Stadium.
Paulista faces a battle to
gain first-team football, with the established centre-back pairing of Per
Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny standing between him and a regular place
in Arsene Wenger's side.
On Sunday, Villarreal confirmed the 24-year-old's departure after weeks of
speculation.
Why Gabriel Paulista to Arsenal makes sense
The Spanish outfit announced
the news on Twitter, saying: "Principal transfer agreement with Arsenal
for Gabriel, who will say goodbye before today’s game. Good Luck!”
Villarreal also announced that Arsenal striker Joel Campbell would head the other way on a six-month loan
after reportedly signing a contract extension with the Gunners.
“Welcome Joel Campbell! We’ve
reached a loan agreement with Arsenal for the rest of the season. Endavant!”
the club tweeted.
Gabriel signed for Villarreal at the beginning of last season from Brazilian
club Esporte Clube Vitoria for a figure of around three million euros and
although he struggled during his first year in La Liga, he has matured into a
cultured centre half.
Campbell, 22, impressed on
loan at Olympiacos in Greece last term and at the World Cup with Costa Rica but has barely got a look in at Arsenal.
No comments:
Post a Comment