Gabriel Paulista is not similar to David Luiz, remarks Wenger

Wenger has quelled talk comparing new signing Gabriel Paulista to former Chelsea defender David Luiz, saying that the former Villarreal man is a true defender who does not show much flair going forward.

Luiz is currently plying his trade in Paris Saint-Germain, having received a lot of flak for his performance with the current leaders. However, Luiz was part of the Brazilian contingent travelling to the 2014 FIFA World Cup while Gabriel is yet to be capped with the national team, something which Wenger believes would change soon.

The Frenchman insists that Luiz is more of a defensive midfielder, who likes foraying forward, while Gabriel resists the temptation of joining his teammates in attack.

"Gabriel is a different style to David Luiz, who looked more as a defensive midfielder, rather than a centre-back, because of his level of concentration and his dynamic [play] going forward," Wenger said.

"I think Gabriel is a typical defender. David Luiz you didn't know if he was a midfielder, as he had the potential always to play," he said. "Gabriel is a more typical defender. He is a real defender, who wants to defend."

Wenger revealed that the Gunners looked through Gabriel's statistics before deciding on the move, but insists that watching him in person was the real deal catcher. The north London watched him play in 10 games before completing a deal for the defender.

"He has good stats. We look at interceptions, defensive errors, winning tackles, set-piece receptions, these kind of things [but still] the most important thing is through the eye," continued Wenger.

"That is what we look for, of course, because it is difficult to watch all the games. If the numbers confirm the eye, it gives you more.

"If a scout comes home and says 'I have seen a good player,' you can statistically observe this player for five, six or seven games.

"You send him again, he comes back and says 'He is a good player,' and the numbers confirm [this], you can say the risk is limited, there is, though, always a risk," he concluded.