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Arsenal’s defeat to Brentford in the opening Premier League match of the season was costly in many ways.
It got their new campaign off to the worst possible start and immediately heaped pressure on Mikel Arteta, with his next two league games against Chelsea and Manchester City.
The defeat emphasised that the squad is still thin, after injuries and illnesses robbed them of a number of first-team players.
And it also proved expensive for another reason.. The inclusion of centre-defender Pablo Mari in the team has cost them an additional £850,000 in transfer fees.
When Mari was signed from his previous clubs, his fee included various add-ons and bonuses, one of which was triggered when he reached 20 appearances for the North London club.
That milestone was reached on Friday by Mari, who had a poor game and was culpable for Brentford’s second goal which came from a long throw which he failed to clear.
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.