Gabriel Paulista to wear No.5 shirt at Arsenal

The new signing from Villarreal will follow in the footsteps of Thomas Vermaelen at the Emirates, while Arsene Wenger has lavished praise upon his latest acquisition

Gabriel Paulista will wear the No.5 shirt at Arsenal, the club have announced.

The centre-back completed his move to the Emirates from Villarreal earlier this week and will follow in the footsteps of such defensive luminaries as Thomas Vermaelen, Martin Keown and Steve Bould by donning the number for the club.

Gabriel has already outlined his intention to compete for trophies in north London, and Arsene Wenger has praised his new signing.

The Frenchman concedes that the club were forced into the market due to injuries, but believes the Brazilian has the required attributes to adapt quickly to the rigours of the Premier League.

"He has good pace, he's good in the challenge and he's tall - so he can adapt to English football," Wenger told Arsenal's official website. "Maybe it will take some time to adapt completely, but overall it's very good to have him.

"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."