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Centre-backs - Gabriel Paulista (Valencia), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona)
Gabriel Paulista joined Arsenal in January 2015 from Villarreal and many hoped that the Brazilian would steady the Arsenal defence.
He got his Arsenal career off to a brilliant start but was never able to cement his place in the starting XI. His difficulty in following English was one major factor behind his rugged form.
In two and a half seasons with the club, he played 64 games and won the FA Cup twice before joining Valencia in August 2017. The 27-year-old is reunited with his former Villarreal manager Marcelino and is once again performing to the best of his abilities.
Thomas Vermaelen’s career hasn’t gone exactly according to plan after leaving Arsenal to join Barcelona. The Belgian was the Arsenal captain when he departed ahead of the 2014/15 season but at Barcelona, he played just once in his debut season due to injury concerns.
Injuries have severely hampered Vermaelen’s post-Arsenal career and he even spent the 2016/17 season on loan at Roma but played just 12 games overall.
The 32-year-old is still contracted to Barcelona but he’s now their fourth choice centre-back behind Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet.
