Flamengo centre-back Pablo Mari would be a shrewd addition for Arsenal this January transfer window, should they get a deal over the line by Friday evening’s 11pm deadline, according to the opinion of South American football expert Tim Vickery.
The Gunners, who navigated their way through to the fifth-round of the FA Cup on Monday evening with a 2-1 win over AFC Bournemouth, setting up a tie with League One club Portsmouth, are locked in talks with the Brazilian club over a move for the 26-year-old Spainiard.
However, there may be a fair amount of work to do to try and get this deal over the line in time. Mari underwent a medical in London over the weekend ahead of a proposed move but Flamengo chiefs accused Arsenal of changing their terms in pushing for a loan deal rather than a permanent signing.
Arsenal are still working to get Mari in before Friday night’s transfer deadline, with head coach Mikel Arteta said to be very keen on signing the former Manchester City man.
![[FILE] Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) runs with the ball as Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel closes in during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/000_97B779-scaled-e1703231851386-120x86.jpg "Liverpool host Arsenal in battle for Premier League Christmas No. 1 2")
Offering a detailed insight into what Gunners fans may be able to expect from Mari, should any deal be revitalised, South American football expert Vickery was full of praise for the defender, insisting that he was the ‘most important player’ in guiding Flamengo to the Brazilian title and FIFA Club World Cup final.
Speaking to TalkSport, Vickery explained: “I’ve been droning on about him to anyone who will listen for the past few months, because I think Manchester City missed a beat with this one.
“Pablo Mari, 26-year-old, big, left-footed Spanish centre-back who City had for three years. They loaned him to Girona, Breda in Holland and Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish second division, and then, with new European coach Portuguese Jorge Jesus wanting to play with a high line, they sold him to Flamengo.
“No one in Brazil plays with a high line – it just doesn’t happen – so he needed a centre-back who could do it for him and they brought in Mari. He was unknown, he came in very cold and was thrown in at the deep end, but he sorted it out for them absolutely magnificently.
“For me, in that Flamingo side that coasted its way to the Brazilian championship, won the South American title and gave Liverpool a game in the Club World Cup final, I think he was the most important player.
“He’s by no way the most glamorous, but that front four with all the goals being scored by Gabriel Barbosa and Bruno Henrique, it wouldn’t have worked had the team not been able to defend with a high line – and Pablo Mari was the man behind all of that, he was superb.
“Now, this is the chance of a lifetime for him at Arsenal. He won’t have the same advantage that he had in Brazil where he was the only centre-back who knew who the play a high line and he organised that and passed out of defence very well. He hasn’t got express pace, but his positioning is good enough to get him out of jail.”
For all of the high-class talent both on and off the pitch that Manchester City boast, it is surprising how they may have let such a quality player slip through their hands.
But with Arsenal said to be desperate to get a deal done for Mari, it seems that Areta, who, of course, left City to take over at Arsenal last month, may have been impressed with what he saw from the Spanish centre-half during his three-year stint in Manchester.
Vickery added: “Obviously one person at City maybe agrees with me that they missed a beat, and that’s Mikel Arteta. With all the centre-back problems they’ve had this season, they could have had him [in the team].
“Arteta knows the player, knows what he’s getting and I think it could be a good bit of business for Arsenal. I don’t think he’s going to be the sensation that he has been in Brazil but I think he can do a competent role there.
“A left-footed centre-back is great as well for passing out from the back, it just opens out the pitch so much more.”
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