Footie Central | Football Blog Blogging the football world
Arsenal have agreed to sign Spanish defender Pablo Mari on a permanent basis for £14 million– despite the fact that he will now be out until November with injury.
Mari joined Arsenal initially on a six month loan from Brazilian club Flamengo in January, with the deal including an option to buy. And they have decided to exercise that option despite the fact that he will be sidelined for four months with the ankle ligament damage he sustained just 24 minutes into the Gunners’ first match back after the restart against Manchester City.
Mari has made just three appearances for the Gunners to darte, having just forced his way into the side when the lockdown occurred.
With Mari though out and David Luiz unlikely to be offered a contract extension, the Gunners defensive options are looking threadbare at the back, and they may be forced to go into the market to find a short-term replacement.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.