Strong tackling 21 year old centre half Gabriel Paletta agreed to sign for Liverpool in February 2006, eventually signing a deal of around ₤2 million in July the same year. He played a pivotal role in Argentina’s 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship which brought him to the attention of Liverpool’s scouts.
Rafa Benitez has compared him to Roberto Ayala and Jamie Carragher, saying that “[he] is very tough and he’s exactly the sort of player we need who will suit the Premiership”.
Gabriel began his career at the youth set-up at Club Atlético Banfield. He was called up to the first team in 2005 and took part in the Copa Libertadores, but only played one match as he was then included in the Argentinian squad for 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship along with the likes of Messi and Agüero. He played an important role, playing in all 7 games that saw his team win the competition.
Soon after signing for the Reds in the summer of 2006 Paletta was given a chance in the pre season friendly against Wrexham, giving a slid performance. He made his full debut for the club in the 4-3 League Cup win over Reading, in which he again played well defensively and scored his first competitive goal for the club with an accurate header. Gabriel again played in the League Cup against Arsenal in the record defeat, he struggled to contain the Arsenal attackers and at times his tackling was somewhat reckless.
Despite the set back Paletta is a regular for the reserves and his strong style may yet see him be well suited to Premier League football in the future.
- Gordo, April 2007
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