Ornstein Reveals £10m Transfer Is “Very Likely” To Happen As Arteta Makes Defender A Priority

Ornstein Reveals £10m Transfer Is “Very Likely” To Happen As Arteta Makes Defender A Priority

The Athletic‘s David Ornstein believes that Arsenal will sign Pablo Mari on a permanent basis from Flamengo when the transfer window reopens.

The Spaniard is currently on loan until the end of the season, with the Gunners having the option to buy for £10m, and Ornstein says the fact that he is a left-footed centre-back is one of the key reasons why manager Mikel Arteta would like to keep him:


“Mikel Arteta’s preference is to sign permanently a left-footed centre half. And as such, I understand that it’s very likely that they will make the loan deal for Pablo Mari into a permanent transfer for around £10 million and that will satisfy Arteta’s need for the left-sided centre half.”

Balance is a vital part of Arteta’s system, whereby it is extremely important to have players in the right positions to make passes with their strongest foot. With Arsenal having no other left-sided centre-halves, Mari offers Arteta something the rest of his defenders cannot.

The Gunners have been heavily linked with the likes of Axel Disasi in recent days, and while Ornstein says the London club are watching the Frenchman, his signing would only happen if Arteta wants another centre-back in addition to Mari.