Arsenal have officially confirmed their first signing of the January transfer window with the acquisition of Spanish center-back Pablo Mari.
The defender will join the North London club on a loan deal that will also include an option for it to be made permanent in the summer.
Mari joins the club from Flamengo where he had an extremely successful time winning both the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian League.
Flamengo achieved the unique feat of becoming the first Brazilian side in over 50 years to win both titles in the same season and Mari played a crucial part in making that happen.
The 26-year-old was part of the Manchester City squad for 3 years but was not able to make an appearance for them as he was loaned out to Girona, NAC Breda and Deportivo La Coruna over the course of these 3 seasons.
His performances at Deportivo where he played all 38 matches of their league campaign caught the eye of Brazilian giants Flamengo. They brought the Spaniard to South America where he has flourished under manager Jorge Jesus.
This is Mikel Arteta’s first signing as he looks to strengthen his defense. Injuries to Calum Chambers and Shkodran Mustafi more recently had made this a pressing issue.
Though Mustafi will not be out for a long period of time, it will benefit the squad and Arteta to have some cover at the center back area. Mari has five months to show Arsenal and the Premier League what he is made of.
Fans will be excited to see how he slots into the team and the fact that he is left-footed will provide some balance to the way the Gunners like to build attacks from the back.
Now the focus will be to see if anyone else joins Mari during the few days left in the transfer window.
