The Spanish centre-back becomes Arsenal's first signing since Mikel Arteta's appointment as head coach
Wednesday 29 January 2020 23:53, UK
Arsenal have signed Flamengo defender Pablo Mari on an initial loan deal with an option to buy.
The deal for the Spaniard is worth up to £12m, with Arsenal paying a £4m loan fee upfront while having the option to make the move permanent for £8m in the summer.
The 26-year-old becomes Mikel Arteta's first signing since taking over as Arsenal head coach in December.
"When I spoke to my agent, it was a big thing that Arsenal were interested in me," Mari told the Arsenal website.
"This is one of the best clubs in the world, so I'm absolutely delighted to be joining. I'm really looking forward to playing in this jersey and helping my team.
"Right now I want to focus on the day-to-day side of things. I think we need to put the plans to one side for now because the most important thing is to take things one day at a time and focus on achieving short-term goals.
"We need to change the dynamic around the team, so the short-term objectives are the most important thing. As I've said, we have Mikel's ideas, aligned with the club, and we need to perform very well to change things."
Flamengo have thanked Mari for his contribution to their Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Serie A triumphs last season and said "the time has come to say goodbye" on social media.
Mari joined Flamengo last year from Manchester City, where he had been since 2016, after loan stints at Girona, NAC Breda and Deportivo La Coruna.
Analysis by Sky Sports' Adam Bate
For Pablo Mari, 2019 was a year of spectacular sporting highs and lows.
As recently as June, he was the man who missed the chance that cost Deportivo La Coruna promotion back to La Liga. By November, he was a champion of Brazil and South America, being feted by Flamengo fans as a key factor in the club's first league title in 30 years.
But for Arsenal supporters, the fascination now is what could lie ahead for the Spanish defender in 2020. Mikel Arteta, who moved to Manchester City in the same summer as Mari in 2016, wants to make the player his first signing as a manager. Edu Gaspar, the club's Brazilian sporting director, appears to like what he has seen too.
Such informed judges should be enough to encourage supporters but Arsenal fans could be forgiven for being unsure of what to expect. Some would say that anyone would be an upgrade on the hapless pairing of Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz. Others remember that both were presented as the solution upon their arrival at the club.
Analysis from South American football expert Tim Vickery
"What's been reported here in Brazil is that Arsenal tried to bully them a little bit. I don't think that was a particularly wise tactic.
"Flamengo are rich - they don't need to sell, they didn't want to sell this player and they weren't up for being bullied. This move has happened because the player really wanted it to happen.
"For Pablo Mari, remember he was picked up by Manchester City in 2016 but didn't get the chance to show his talents with them. Perhaps they've missed a beat with this one. Certainly Mikel, their former assistant, thinks that way as it's now in his capacity as Arsenal boss that he's brought Mari in.
"What Jesus brought in when he arrived at Flamengo was to deploy a high defensive line, which is not very common in Brazil. He didn't have domestic Brazilian centre-backs who could do it so he pulled in his European connections and Mari solved that problem for him. It could've gone wrong.
"He came in raw without a pre-season and was thrown into the deep end but he organised the high line and defended really well.
"He is an asset for Arsenal, but he won't stand out like he did for Flamengo. The outlay is relatively small for the calibre of player they're getting.
"Certainly from what he did in the past few months, he deserves his chance in the Premier League."
Pablo Mari arrives in Sky Sports Fantasy Football at a mere £8.2m. Will he make his way into your starting XI? Play and amend your team here.
Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.
Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.
Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.
And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
