In-demand Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista

Arsenal have signed Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista, but who exactly is the much talked-about Brazilian?

Name: Gabriel Paulista (Gabriel Armando de Abreu)

Age: 24

Position: Centre-back

Nationality: Brazil

Born in Sao Paulo, Gabriel Paulista started his top-flight career with Esporte Clube Vitoria, graduating through the youth set-up before making his league debut in 2010 aged 19.

Three years later Gabriel helped Vitoria to the 2013 Campeonato Baiano title, having been utilised on the left and right-hand side of a three-man backline.

La Liga-bound

Gabriel's style of play is thought to be ideally suited to the demands of the Premier League

Gabriel was voted the best central defender in the tournament and in August 2013 signed a five-year contract with Villarreal in Spain. Three months later he made his debut in a draw with eventual champions Atletico Madrid at El Madrigal and Gabriel has not looked back.

The Brazilian's performances this season contributed significantly to Villarreal’s recent surge up to sixth in the table and progress through to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals - they are currently on a 17-game unbeaten run.

The Yellow Submarine boast one of the meanest defences in the division having conceded just 17 goals and Gabriel has been at the heart of that backline.

Adaptability

The defender’s versatility will have appealed to Wenger; Gabriel is mainly right-footed but is also able to operate at left back as he has done so on two occasions for Villarreal this term.

The player has also built a glowing reputation as a powerful, pacy, ball-playing central defender who reads the game brilliantly, is strong in the air and capable of man-marking if required.

Those attributes would appear to make Gabriel ideally suited to the physical demands of the Premier League yet he remains a player with great potential who is far from the finished product.

“Gabriel needs to develop - he is raw, but talented,” Spanish football expert Graham Hunter told Revista de la Liga.

This may explain why Brazil have so far resisted the temptation to hand him a first call-up to the national team.

Gabriel's defensive stats for Villarreal in La Liga this season

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