People love to say which Gabriel has been bought because of stats DNA but Brian McDermott scouted him for a month and the reports about the player were all very good.
His stats under Marcelino were incredible and there were rumors who have linked the player to Barça as option behind the starters.
I fucking love that imagery 
Yea I just don’t believe we buy players based on stats alone. We are actually pretty well known for watching players dozens of times before buying. Could stat DNA be used to pick out some players we should watch? Sure. But thats probably as far as it goes.
Chambers over Gabriel every single day of the week.
Hasta la vista
I remember reading that when we bought him and he was one of the best defenders in the league, at Villarreal who had a brilliant defence.
So it could be that he played to a system that suited his style of play against opposition that was different to the PL.
I don’t think he was that bad for us but as a defender you are remembered more by your mistakes than your overall play and it was his poor performances that stood out.
He wasn’t experienced enough to come to a top European team, in one of the most difficult leagues, and we needed a top CB that was ready to walk into the first team straight away.
So that’s why I think he was a panic buy and a cheap option.
Why was he a panic buy?
He was bought in the January window.
If we needed a quality CB, Wenger would have bought him before that, not wait until the usual injury crisis.
He is far too reactive in the transfer market rather than pro active.
This is one of his biggest faults.
I’m convinced you aren’t aware of what a panic buy is.
Looks like a spot message, but I’m writing a thread about our defense situation.
When was Gabriel expected to return from injury? Quite surprised this deal got done so quickly, although maybe that’s just relative to all of our other players who seem increasingly unsellable
Reminds me of that tweet. Ask Harry Kane to recite ‘‘red lorry yellow lorry’’ and he’d drown in his own saliva.
My perception of a panic buy is when you are not properly prepared and go into a season knowing that any injuries or lack of form in certain positions or players not up to the required standard and then the realisation that a top four place isn’t guaranteed and you need to strengthen.
Wenger doesn’t seem to plan his transfers like other top managers.
He tends to go for what he thinks is good value rather than identifying the best players and then buying them.
This is why we rarely get the best players but rather the best bargain.
The January window doesn’t represent a failure in preparation nor is it a panic window.
It’s an opportunity to keep the league fresh and add value to what is already the most exciting league in world football.
Perceptions are everything and why we disagree so much. So i do kinda get what you mean. But the January window is a valuable tool, not a mark of failure.
Also, Bargain buying ended a while ago mate. Xhaka, Mustafi, Alexis, Ozil and Lacazette clearly underline that.
I don’t know, mate. In those summers before the January windows we signed Elneny and Gabriel 99% of this forum was screaming for a midfielder and a defender. Just to see Arsenal budge in in January does not seem like smart squad management.
He was bought because Koscielny kept missing games due to an injury we already knew about in the summer. It was certainly not a 100% planned buy all along and it did go against how Wenger doesn’t like doing business in the January window.
This departure seems to have come out of the blue, although granted I haven’t really paid much attention to our dealings of late. A bit of a shame in a way. Yeah he had that clumsy ‘deer in the headlights’ look about him 
, but he produced some pretty solid performances from time to time, and he certainly gave his best to the team.
Not a first team starter but could be a useful backup when called upon a lot of the time. At least I suppose this gives the likes of Chambers and Holding more first team opportunties. Best of the luck to the guy.
this is better then making an actual signing, glad to see the back of this clown, nothing against him as a person but I hate him
Hope we’re still going to keep his emoji. It’s one of my favourites
my first thought too
I don’t know about you mate but I’d consider 35 million quid for Alexis Sanchez some what of a bargain buy.