Out of the blue, Arsenal have signed defender Pablo Mari

The president of the Flamengo football club in Brazil has confirmed defender Pablo Mari has signed with Arsenal on a loan with an option to buy.

Mari has arrived in London for his physical at Arsenal’s training facility this weekend. After his arrival, Mari was caught on video responding to the question, “Are you excited to be joining Arsenal?” His response, “Yes, of course.”

Earlier we also saw visuals of Arsenal technical director Edu with Flamengo centerback Pablo Mari at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão International Airport this morning on their way to London.

Reports indicate Arsenal has been able to secure a transfer fee for $13-million USD. Before Flamengo, Mari was a Manchester City player for three seasons. He was loaned out each year and never made an appearance for City. Then in July, 2019 Mari signed with Brazilian Serie A club, Flamengo, where he helped the club win the Copa Libertadores.

This is awesome news! Here are some important stats on the guy:
He is 6’3″ tall, a terrific tackler, has some pace, aggressive but not careless, good with the ball, a great header of the ball, and makes clean clearances. Check out some of his performances on You Tube. You won’t be disappointed!

Behind the scenes reports have said Mari caught the eye of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta while the Spaniard was a Manchester City player, and during Flamengo’s match with Liverpool in the Club World Cup Final in December.

This signing comes at a great time. With Arsenal’s two week break away from matches coming up, Mari will have time to acclimate into the club, with his news teammates, and with his new surroundings.

So, I feel like a kid at Christmas, however, you never really know what’s inside that big, nicely wrapped present until you open it.
Let’s hope Pablo Mari is in fact the present we have been waiting for! Hopefully, we will find out soon.

Cheers. Gunner1953