Why Gabriel Paulista Will Be the Key Arsenal Defender in 2015/16

With the summer transfer window about to open, Arsenal fans may be hoping Arsene Wenger will look to strengthen the defence. However, it should not be forgotten that, back in January, they signed the most expensive defender of Wenger’s tenure: Gabriel Paulista.

Statistically speaking, Gabriel has enjoyed a superb start to life in English football. Although he has only made five Premier League appearances to date, he has impressed in every outing. Anyone who imagined he might find the physicality of the Premier League difficult to cope with will have been pleasantly surprised by his swift acclimatisation.

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It’s not as if he hasn’t been tested. On average, he has been forced to take 11 defensive actions per game—the highest of any Arsenal player. It’s clear the Brazilian does not shy away from a challenge.

When he does go in for a contest against an opponent, he invariably comes out on top. Gabriel has won an average of 73 per cent of his one-on-one duels—also the single highest success ratio among Arsenal’s entire squad of outfield players.

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His most impressive achievements have been in the air. The former Villarreal man has won an incredible 86 per cent of his headed contests to date despite coming up against physical adversaries such as Everton forward Romelu Lukaku. To provide some context, the giant German Per Mertesacker can only boast of winning 71 per cent of his aerial battles.

Gabriel has the spring and aggression required to dominate his opponent. It’s possible that with a bigger sample of games behind him these numbers should shift somewhat, but the early signs are undoubtedly encouraging.

The biggest thing for him to overcome is arguably the language barrier. Speaking to the Arsenal Magazine (h/t the Star), he admitted: "My biggest problem is just speaking but in terms of settling, I am totally adapted here at the club and with my team-mates, who are all wonderful and friendly."

Once Gabriel has learned the basic terms required to communicate with the back four, he ought to be an even more effective performer.

Over the course of next season, he may even replace Mertesacker at the heart of the Arsenal defence. Although the German is respected by Gunners fans and players alike, his lack of pace is occasionally problematic. In the Champions League last-16 tie against Monaco, that weakness was exposed by the principality team’s counter-attacking style.

In the past, Wenger has shown a proclivity toward playing with a back four that presses high up the pitch and looks to catch opponents offside. With David Ospina now settled in goal, the defenders have a goalkeeper with the anticipation and footwork to sweep up behind them.

Gabriel is significantly quicker than Mertesacker, and introducing him to the starting XI could allow Arsenal to make that switch in style. It is for that reason that he could well be the key man in the Gunners back four next season. His speed and aggression would enable Wenger to introduce a new, proactive style of defending.

All stats via Squawka.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.