Gabriel Paulista completes £10 million move to Valencia

Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista has signed for Spanish side Valencia on a five-year deal for a reported transfer fee of £10 million. 

Gabriel endured a difficult two-and-a-half years at the North London club after his £11 million move from Villarreal. While being extremely fearless in defence, Gabriel was called out a number of times for defensive errors, with Arsene Wenger attributing those errors to the Brazilian's inability to speak English.

In total, Gabriel only managed to make 46 appearances over three seasons and 64 in all competitions, being largely a back-up to Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi, while playing as a makeshift right-back at times as well. With the arrival of Sead Kolašinac, Gabriel's playing time has been further cut short.

Valencia confirmed the move on the club's website in a statement that read: "Valencia Club de Fútbol has reached an agreement with Arsenal FC for the transfer of the federative rights of the player Gabriel Paulista. The Brazilian player has been linked to the Valencian entity for the next 5 seasons, until June 30, 2022, with a termination clause of 80 million euros."

Arsenal also bid farewell to the Brazilian in a brief statement: "We would like to thank Gabriel for his contribution to the club and to wish him well for his return to La Liga with Valencia."