Arsenal’s 9 Central Defenders Since Gabriel Paulista – Ranked

2. Gabriel Paulista

It really was a mixed bag with Gabriel. On his day he could be a frightening, battering ram of a defender. Yet on others he’d be a rabbit in the headlights, lost at sea without any grasp of the local nautical lingo.

We mustn’t forget, also, that he did do a number on Romelu Lukaku more than once. Well, twice, but that’s still more than one.

Sold at a peculiar time when Arsenal were awash with injuries and ageing centre-backs, his departure raised a few eyebrows, but there was a general acceptance that he was never going to become an elite central defender. It simply boiled down to raising the funds when the opportunity arose.

Not the worst, but certainly not the best, he’ll probably be most fondly remembered for utterly despising Diego Costa. Something we can all get on board with. Won two FA Cups, too.