Marcelino has confirmed that talks to sell Gabriel Paulista to Arsenal are under way but maintained the defender is still a part of Villarreal’s plans.
The Brazilian’s proposed move to north London had been acknowledged publicly by Arsene Wenger earlier in the week, and the Coach of the Yellow Submarines has now corroborated the Frenchman’s claims.
“It wouldn’t be fair if we don’t win at Levante and blame it on [the Gabriel speculation],” he said at a Press conference on Friday.
“He’s a player who’s still wanted in the dressing room and remains very important to us. At the moment, he’s still part of the squad because we don’t know what will happen.
“Everything points towards the negotiations going in one direction, but until then he’s still ours.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s visit of Levante, which will not feature Gabriel, Marcelino praised the ‘ambition and confidence’ oozing from his Villarreal squad and backed their chances of making it 17 matches without defeat – a club record.
“The team are ambitious and are high in confidence,” he continued.
“In addition to this, we must add maximum intensity, concentration for 90 minutes and give little chance to our rivals.
“It’s an important game, being at home is essential. We want to maintain our position in the table, and for that we have to win.
“Levante are in a difficult situation and it sure makes things very difficult for us. They’re well organised in defence, are good on the break and have a good attacking strategy.
“They’re an experienced team, and we beat them in the 92th minute last season, so we expect great difficulty.
"If we can have a second half to the season like our first, we’d be very close to the Champions League, but it’s difficult because there’s a lot at stake for every team.
“In addition, we’re still in the Copa [del Rey] and Europa League, so it becomes more complicated. The difficulty increases, but I’m optimistic because of my team’s attitude.
“The importance I give [to the Levante game] is that we’re in a positive dynamic. It’s not easy going 17 games unbeaten.
“The match against Levante is very important in its own right, but it allows us to set a welcome record too.
“[Denis] Cheryshev is a big miss, but it shouldn’t change our approach or be a mitigating factor to win.”
