Gabriel Paulista is determined to fight for a starting spot at Arsenal despite the arrival of £35 million signing Shkodran Mustafi.
Gabriel made his first appearance of the season in Tuesday's 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup third round after recovering from an ankle injury.
However, the Brazilian now faces added competition after Arsene Wenger spent big on bringing in Mustafi from Valencia in the summer, with 20-year-old Rob Holding also joining from Bolton Wanderers.
"I'm going to train very hard to try and get in the team, to get in the starting XI, while at the same time showing respect to my teammates," Gabriel told Arsenal's official website.
"I think this season the competition has been and will continue to be very strong, with so many great defenders at the club. The fight to get a place in the team will be a good fight, and Arsenal will benefit from this competition between players. Us players will always try to get a place in the team."
In the absence of Gabriel and the injured Per Mertesacker, Mustafi has been forming a partnership with Laurent Koscielny after his arrival and is likely to do so again in Saturday's home game against Chelsea.
Gabriel was already familiar with the German after playing against him in La Liga, and says Mustafi's character will be a big help to the Arsenal dressing room.
"He's got a lot of technical ability, and he's also strong and quick," Gabriel said. "I've also followed him in the German national team and he's the kind of player who instils belief in his teammates.
"I think at Arsenal this will be the case as well, he's another player that'll improve the squad and help us try and achieve our objectives."