Arsenal Defender Gabriel Nears Exit After Arriving in Spain to Complete Valencia Switch

Arsenal defender Gabriel looks certain to leave the club after he landed in Valencia to complete his switch to the Spanish club. The Brazilian failed to make

Arsenal defender Gabriel looks certain to leave the club after he landed in Valencia to complete his switch to the Spanish club. 

The Brazilian failed to make an impact last year as the Gunners missed out on Champions League football for the first under Arsene Wenger. 

Dan Mullan/GettyImages

And having only made 19 Premier League appearances, the 26-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements and is certain to sign for La Liga side Valencia.

Sport report that Gabriel has landed at Manises airport and may be announced as a Valencia player as early as this evening, should he pass all medical tests. Upon arrival, the defender claimed that he was 'very happy' to be joining the club, putting an end to his two years at the Emirates. 

Valencia will announce in the next few hours the signing of Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal). The deal could reach £10m pic.twitter.com/whu8pIVl8D

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) August 17, 2017

Gabriel is currently suffering a slight knee injury, but he also claimed that his knee is in better condition, although he is 'still lacking something'. meaning he is unlikely to be able to feature in Valencia's opening game of the season. 

The defender is more likely to feature in game two, against Real Madrid. 

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The Spanish club are hoping for a better season this time round, having finished in 12th place last year and spending most of their time in the bottom half. 

Gabriel will join Neto and Nemanja Maksimovic as the new faces hoping to change Valencia's fortunes.