Arsenal's stunningly thin central defense appears to be on the verge of getting beefed up. On Saturday, Villarreal tweeted that they had agreed to a deal to send the Brazilian defender to the Gunners. The fee is rumored to be £13.5 million. Heading the other way will be Costa Rican attacker Joel Campbell, who's set to join Villarreal on loan for the rest of the season.
Arsenal to sign Gabriel Paulista, loan Joel Campbell to Villarreal
The Gunners (probably) just got stronger at central defense, assuming they can actually sign Gabriel Paulista.
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Gabriel has been at Villarreal for a season and a half and has established himself as first choice this season. The 24-year-old became one of the Brasileirao’s top central defenders with Vitoria, and has rapidly progressed since moving to La Liga.
There are big questions about how Gabriel will get a work permit, since he doesn’t come close to meeting any of the criteria. He has never been capped by Brazil at Under-20 or senior level, and is too old to be considered an exceptional young talent. However, the work permit appeal process is very subjective, and testimony from Brazil manager Dunga that he plans to use Gabriel should be sufficient to get him a work permit for the duration of his contract.
Campbell was expected to have a breakthrough campaign for Arsenal this season. He had an excellent loan spell at Olympiacos and a very strong World Cup, but has made only 10 appearances this year and has not scored a goal.
