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LONDON. — Arsenal have completed the signing of Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal with Joel Campbell heading in the opposite direction on loan.

The Gunners have finally sealed the deal after the uncapped Brazilian passed a medical and granted a work permit.

Paulista has been handed the No.5 shirt by Arsenal.

He is expected to provide cover for first-choice central defensive pairing Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.

In a further boost to the club, changes in the exchange rate between the Pound and the Euro have lowered the agreed fee from £14,1m to £13,4m.

Paulista said: “I am arriving at a big club and the fans can expect to find a Gabriel with a great will to help everyone.

“Not just thinking of me as an individual, because to me that is not important. I care more about helping the team and my team-mates.

“I want to help everyone, so the fans can expect a Gabriel that on the field has a lot of will to be able to help the team win important things.”

The Brazilian centre-back has signed a four-and-a-half year deal and wants to take the Gunners all the way to the top.

Paulista (24) claims Arsenal are a team full of stars who should be challenging for all the top prizes in football.

He said: “I know that we have great players of a high standard, players who are real stars, because if they were not stars they wouldn’t be here.

“Arsenal is a very big team and it must always be competing for the biggest titles in the world. Arsenal must fight for all the most important titles around.

“The few games I have watched and witnessed, during the season, I saw that there is room for improvement.

“We have a lot to conquer because Arsenal is a very big club, we must always be at the top.

“I think it’s a club that will keep growing throughout the season, and over the next few years we will be able to win important titles.”

Paulista also revealed that Arsene Wenger played a big part in his decision to join Arsenal.

The Gunners announced the arrival of Paulista yesterday in a deal believed to be worth £15m, triggering the Brazil international’s release clause at Villarreal.

And the 24-year-old centre-half claims he was flattered to attract interest from a manager of Wenger’s calibre.

On Wenger’s influence, Paulista said: “To me it’s something big . . . I came on his request, on the coach’s request.

“He asked to sign me and that gives me more strength and the will to be able to work.

“I see that he’s a coach that has been here for many years and this is important, not only for the team but also for the club.

“This is very important for everyone that works here in the club, to have a coach like this.”

Wenger has praised Gabriel Paulista’s ambition and focus — and believes he will quickly adapt to the Premier League.

Wenger is delighted to have signed the 24-year-old, and is confident Gabriel will make a big impact for the Gunners.

“He has good pace, he’s good in the challenge and he’s tall — so he can adapt to English football,” the manager told Arsenal Player. “Maybe it will take some time to adapt completely, but overall it’s very good to have him here.

“He’s very ambitious, focused and serious. That’s important at a club like ours — you need to have a complete focus on your job. He has that.

“I like the players who come from nowhere and show they can adapt. From Brazil, he has (then) adapted to Spain.

“That means he has already made it and adapted in another country. That’s another important quality.

“We needed another centre back because we have lost Debuchy. Monreal can play centre back and we are a bit short there if something happens, especially with the Achilles (problem) of Koscielny since the start of the season.

“We needed some cover, or we would not be responsible. [Gabriel] can play right back and left back, and that is of course a good quality as well.” — The Daily Star.