Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista has revealed that he developed an interest in English football last summer.
The Brazilian defender joined the Gunners in the January transfer window from Villarreal and has so far caught the eye of the Emirates faithful in his five Premier League appearances.
The 24-year-old only arrived in European football with Villarreal in 2013 and after spending a season-and-a-half in Spain he earned a move to England with Arsene Wenger’s men earlier this year.
The defender admits that he never thought about playing in England until last summer, when he started taking a keen interest in English football.
He revealed that he asked his agent to arrange a transfer for him to the Premier League and stressed that he was delighted when Arsenal came calling in the winter window.
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“I never imagined playing in England”, Gabriel told Arsenal Player.
“But when we had pre-season games here I started to look at English football more closely and I wanted to join a Premier League team.
“I spoke with my agent and we had a friendly conversation about my desire of joining a top English club. Months later, this offer came, much to my delight, and things are going well.”
Arsene Wenger’s expects the Brazilian to play a key role in Arsenal’s defence next season and he has earned widespread praise in the few appearances that he has already made for the Gunners in the current campaign.
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