Gabriel Paulista looks likely to seal a move to Valencia this summer, but will Arsenal need to buy another defender to replace him? The Brazilian featured in 19 Premier League matches last term, with most of those coming because of injury absences, and he now finds himself with a large number of rivals for a starting place.
Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal and Rob Holding are expected to share the three starting places primarily, while Calum Chambers, Maitland-Niles and Mohamed Elneny will provide back-up for those places. Gabriel would likely have been in the second group of players, but now looks set to leave the club.
Valencia have been on the lookout for a central defender following Elaquim Mangala’s return to Manchester City, and are believed to be able to sign Gabriel for a £10 Million fee.
Los Che have already admitted to holding an interest in our defender, with his knowledge of La Liga and ability to speak Spanish named as important to them, and depending on whether the player is willing to join the club, a deal looks highly probable.
Arsenal are also looking to offload Mathieu Debuchy this summer, while Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs have also been linked with an exit. These departures would leave us with six senior options for the three centre-back roles, while Krystian Bielik would likely be next in line for action should we fail to add to our numbers.
Would we need more options at the back after selling Gabriel? Would his departure mean Chambers will stay?
Pat J