In December of 2012 Arsenal paid just over two million pounds for a statistics package called StatDNA, and it was this number cruncher that led them to part with £11.3 million for Gabriel Paulista.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: “If the numbers confirm the eye, it gives you more. If a guy comes home and says, ‘I’ve seen a good player’, you can statistically observe this player for five, six, seven games.
“You send him again, he comes back and says he’s a good player and the numbers confirm, you can say the risk is limited.
“We look at interceptions, defensive errors, winning tackles – what we call tackles is committing to win the ball. Set piece receptions.
“These kind of things. The most important thing is through the eye. We have our own system, with qualities we think are important.
“Though there is always a risk. Because after that, you have the attitude of the player.
“Because you can have good stats for a while but, if you go out every night until 6 o’clock in the morning, it won’t last. But Gabriel’s attitude is very good.”
The main problem Wenger sees is that the 24-year-old does not speak a word of English and has very limited Spanish.
“It is the biggest language barrier I have faced with a new player but it is not a gamble,” said Wenger. “He doesn’t speak much Spanish but at least he can communicate the minimum.
“At the moment he does not speak a word of English and that can cost you goals. If you mix going forwards with going backwards, it can cost you.
“But we will try to give English lessons every day, at the training ground or at home. We have a teacher who comes in.
“We need to teach him the important words like, ‘offside!’ and ‘look at the linesman’.”
