We all know that Arsenal definitely need a defender this month, and it now seems pretty certain that Arsene Wenger has pinpointed Gabriel Paulista as the man to fill the hole.
But of course, as with every transfer to Arsenal, there is a snag to every deal. It has been reported in the Telegraph today that Villarreal are holding out for the official release clause in the Brazilian’s contract which means paying £15.25 million, but naturally Wenger has only put in a bid of £6 million, which is probably what he could have got if he had done the deal last summer (or 3 years ago!).
Okay this is only speculation but the fact is that both sides will probably be happy if the final price is around £10 million or nearabouts. For me that is a great January price for a player (obviously talented) in the January transfer window for a position that we NEED right now.
Now the Telegraph report is going further and saying that IF the price is LESS than £10 million then that may jeapordise the chances of Paulista getting a work permit, as under new FA proposals that could take affect this summer, that will be the minimum price that will be required for a player to gain the necessary permit, if they don’t meet the previous thresholds of having played three quarters of their home country’s internationals in the last two years.
It all sounds very complicated, but as far as I’m concerned, if Wenger thinks he is good enough to play for Arsenal, then he is obviously worth at least that price, so why doesn’t he just go ahead and get the deal done?