January 2015 Transfer Window

Wenger today on Gabriel Paulista:

The talks are progressing quite well. Can we find an agreement or not? I don't know

I heard that he can play in both full back positions. Versatility is hot.

This might sound crazy but...surely there was a central defender available for £15m that we could bring in who is either a) already in the PL or b) wouldn't have work permit issues. Surely Mings for £7m or Reid for £10m would have been enough to make Ipswich or West Ham respectively let them go??

I can see this whole work permit issue turning the Gabriel chase into a fiasco...

Interesting, cover for KOS, i hope they can play together IF we get him. The price is so high for back up CB, i guess Arsene have faith he can win first team position.

Interesting, cover for KOS, i hope they can play together IF we get him. The price is so high for back up CB, i guess Arsene have faith he can win first team position.

It's a massive price for a backup CB but this is the corner that Arsene has backed himself into by not recruiting in the summer window.

Every other club holds the better hand so they're sure to take the piss.

I guess he's weighing up the difference of no CB and potentially losing the CL money versus recruiting a CB and having a better chance of making CL.

It's a massive price for a backup CB but this is the corner that Arsene has backed himself into by not recruiting in the summer window. Every other club holds the better hand so they're sure to take the piss.I guess he's weighing up the difference of no CB and potentially losing the CL money versus recruiting a CB and having a better chance of making CL.

Depend what the plan is. We may see first team player in him.

Given that Per is 30, Koscielny is 29, and Gabriel is 24.... he's definitely going to be a first-squad player soon. If he's in the Koscielny mould, and Chambers seems to be developing in the Per mould (he's complemented Kos better than he has Per), that could be our first choice CB pairing 2-3 years down the line....

This is a message from the future.

Carl Jenkinson - Calum Chambers - Gabriel Paulista - Kieran Gibbs

The back four that won a quadruple in May 2017, only conceding 10 goals in all competitions throughout the season. Keep in mind they had Krystian Bielik playing in front of them cleaning up the zones, and a Ballon d'Or-winning Wojciech Szczesny in goal.

Place your bets now.

Villarreal have announced they have reached agreement in principle with Arsenal for the sale of the centre-back Gabriel Paulista, with the forward Joel Campbell heading to the Spanish club on loan for the rest of the season.

However, it was believed the move would need Home Office approval because the 24-year-old, who joined Villarreal in 2013 from the Salvador side Vitória, did not meet currently required international criteria for a work permit as he is yet to represent Brazil. As such, Arsenal could need to convince a Football Association hearing that the player is an “exceptional talent”.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/24/arsenal-villarreal-gabriel-paulista-joel-campbell

But he played in one of the top 5 leagues in Europe, dont that give him easy way to get work permit? It will be crazy to pay so much money and then send him and a Striker back on loan there. It will feel as if we get conned. And we are back on the first dilemma. All our backup forwards Sanogo, Podolski and Joel are out, but we are still in 3 competition, and FA is open for taking. We will have to fill LW with playmaker wingers.

But he played in one of the top 5 leagues in Europe, dont that give him easy way to get work permit? It will be crazy to pay so much money and then send him and a Striker back on loan there. It will feel as if we get conned. And we are back on the first dilemma. All our backup forwards Sanogo, Podolski and Joel are out, but we are still in 3 competition, and FA is open for taking. We will have to fill LW with playmaker wingers.

We wouldn't close the deal if he didn't get a work permit though. So far we've only agreed on a fee with Villarreal. The next step is now to see if we can get a work permit for him, or a 'special talent' visa. If we can, then we will close the deal with Villarreal, register him to the FA and then we're done.

The whole procedure will probably take a few days.

Looks like Gabriel is done and dusted now- home office approval received - prob just needs to have his temperature taken and have a few happy snaps in his kit then we're golden.

Didn't quite match the amount in his release clause so good bit of business there - JC has come in useful as bait in the deal!

Wenger promised that he would bring in 1-2 players.

Done.

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150128/gabriel-signs-picture-special

Finally it's official !!!

Wenger promised that he would bring in 1-2 players.Done.

Sky News just before midnight on Feb 2nd:

"UNBELIEVABLE, ARSENAL HAVE MANAGED A TRANSFER COUP OF THE HIGHEST MAGNITUDE, THIS MAKES EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE WORLD LOOK LIKE ABSOLUTE CLOWNS!!!"

2012/2013

• Santi Cazorla
• Lukas Podolski - Carlos Vela
• Olivier Giroud - Robin van Persie
• Nacho Monreal
• - Alex Song

2013/2014

• Mesut Özil - Gervinho
• Mathieu Flamini
• Yaya Sanogo

2014/2015

• Alexis Sánchez
  
• Calum Chambers - Thomas Vermaelen
• Danny Welbeck
  
• Gabriel Paulista
  
• Mathieu Debuchy - Bacary Sagna
• David Ospina - Lukasz Fabianski
• Krystian Bielik

Last three seasons after we lost 3 first team players and our creativity. I think we did good. Team look good now on all fronts. We will not get on level with Oil money but we are getting close.

EDIT: why dose LINE brake dont work :(

Gabriel Paulista playing LB

Very pacey for a CB.

They lost the game 2-0 but a good individual performance.

2012/20132013/20142014/2015Last three seasons after we lost 3 first team players and our creativity. I think we did good. Team look good now on all fronts. We will not get on level with Oil money but we are getting close.EDIT: why dose LINE brake dont work :(

You can do line breaks by adding two spaces after the previous line, like this:

This is a line[ADD TWO SPACES HERE]
So is this

Results in:

This is a line
So is this

Was AW not talking about getting another player in the winter? Any hot rumors? I think we are done for now.

Was AW not talking about getting another player in the winter? Any hot rumors? I think we are done for now.

Definitely done for now. I'd be massively surprised if we sign another first team player.