Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista has claimed that he has learnt his lesson from his sending off against Chelsea, and vows never to do it again.
The Brazilian joined the club from Villarreal in January of last year, with Arsenal paying a reported fee of around £11.3 Million, plus allowing Joel Campbell to move in the opposite direction on a temporary deal.
Gabriel started his Gunners career with some impressive displays, but has since failed to earn a regular starting role for the club, and has only played the full match in 15 of the clubs 32 league outings this term.
His most acknowledged appearance came against Chelsea this season, when he was sent at Stamford Bridge for his part in a scuffle with controversial (hated) striker Diego Costa, and the defender has vowed never to make the uncharacteristic mistake again.
“The thing is, I’m a very calm guy, but when I enter the pitch it’s something different,” Gabriel said.
“We are a little transformed. But it was just the heat of the moment, and a moment of learning too.”
“I learned a lot from it. I’ve caused problems to my team, but I know I’ve made a mistake. This whole thing is behind me now and it will never happen again. Now we must move on. It’s in the past. I don’t hate anyone and he (Costa) knows that.”
His ban was overturned for the fracas, but the team went onto lose the match 2-0, having been at a stalemate before his departure, and clearly feels the need to tell us fans that he has not forgotten what happened, and will certainly not be doing any such mistakes in the future.
I was excited to see the 25 year-old when he first arrived, but he hasn’t become the player I was expecting this season. His antics against Chelsea were obviously a huge down-point for him, as well as us, but is Gabriel good enough for Arsenal? Maybe it is still to early to say…