Edu pictured flying to London with Arsenal’s new centre-back (plus Video)

It would certainly appear that Arsenal are finally on their way to acquiring the first of our much needed defenders, as it has now been revealed that Edu has been seen at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão International Airport with Flamengo’s Pablo Mari on his way to a flight to London.

There have been various rumours about Arsenal signing defenders this January, and it looked very like the one about the Shakhtar Donetsk defender Mykola Matviyenko was the most likely, but with that one being a loan to buy, perhaps we could still get both of them this month.

Mari looks very interesting and was actually a Man City player for a while, but was sent on loan to Girona, NAC and Deportivo La Coruna and didn’t actually play for City. So he has much experience of playing in Europe having started his career with Mallorca, and may be happier being closer to his family in Spain.

He was very highly-rated in the Club World Cup Final against Liverpool and I am sure that if Edu rates him highly then he can be a real asset to the Gunners.

Maybe this transfer window could turn out to be better than we expected yet!

Here is short video of some of Mari’s defensive skills in 2019. Looks good!

55 Comments

  1. Even Mertesacker and Lacazette looked other-wordly on their YouTube highlights

    He looks slow to me, but perhaps the pace of our current CBs could complement his other abilities. We do need a towering CB for the corner situations

    I believe Shakhtar are playing hardball with Arsenal on Matviyenko, hence Arsenal choose Mari as the cheaper solution instead

    1. Brazilians are not known to produce too many exceptional defenders I hope this one has a edge over our current defenders. Chamber and Holding when they click are fairly good. I would be more excited when we sign a good midfielders. Ozil need competition from a top creative midfielder.

        1. Actually we still might get Matvynenko..

          Don’t forget he’s left footed CB who has played LB before.. and that’s exactly what we are lacking as well!

          1. McLovin
            I thought Matvynenko was too short at first but when I watched him I realised he can play FB and be a DM too. He’s quick strong and mobile like the modern footballers need to be. Would make sense to get both Mari and Matvynenko, for what is actually peanuts in modern football player prices. We always, even back to Wengers day, only half solve problems.

    2. What’s with the hate for Laca, he is one of the best strikers out there. You want Messi or Ronaldo how about you go out n spend some of your own money to help club buy them. He is just going through a patch happens to every striker. You need to lay off him.

      1. Mohsan, that’s the nature of some of our fans…haven’t you realised that?

        As for this news, let’s hope Edu has done it again…at least HE seems to be doing something at the club.

        If we get both CD’s along with Selba, Tierney and Bellerin, our defence will have a completely new feel about it..rock on Tommy!!!!

  2. Hope he is another Martinelli type in the Hope he is another Brazilian success like Martinelli. So three Brazilians in the team, wow! The footballing winning mentality of the Brazilians are known around the world and we have had previous successes with Brazilians like Gilberto Silva and Edu himself. Up the Gunners!

  3. Close friends have said goodbye on Instagram…. looks like this will happen! Plus, apparently we’re still in for Matviyenko… going to be a busy few days!

  4. I have never seen a world-class player move in Jan from top leagues in world. I do not agree with club buying avg or even below avg players just for the sake of buying making fans happy for short period. We are again going for quantity rather quality. I would prefer us to wait till summer because there is nothing for us to salvage from league n then go out n buy a proper defender who is highly rated n will do the job like VD situation with Liverpool. It’s about time our club stop looking for cheap fixes which does not work….when will we learn ??

      1. Lol!, So that proves first part of my statement wrong. But the second part is what is important, no compromise on quality in department we have been struggling for years.

  5. I will reserve comment on his abilities until I have seen him play here but hope that he is the answer.

    On that video he scored a decent goal so he might become the new Auba 🙂

    Martinelli wasn’t picked up by ManU – they must be seething now with Rashford out. Edu found him so I’m banking on him using his supernatural skills in uncovering Mari’s latent talent as well as more new players in the future.

    Buying expensive doesn’t always bring the required results.

  6. Pablo Mari is at least tall and a little mobile. If Matviyenko happened too (he is technically A1 and mobile) we would have a totally different type of back 4. With Saliba coming that would mean our defense would be near sorted. Our midfield are creatively challenged. We lost Cazorla, Alex Oxlade, Jack Wilshire, and Ramsey. We are a magic free zone. Carelessness has left us with the worst midfield for decades at Arsenal. We should take Santi Back for a year…..now and get him to instill magic into dumkopfs like Xhaka. Guendouzi is good and ripe to learn, Torreira knows his job well and is really getting better. Ozil is past it, he just doesn’t cope with the all out game played nowadays. In the summer break we need to find Santi No 2, Viera No 2, and Ramsey No2. Matvienko looks like he could be a great mobile DM. Sell the reckless, mindless, monster Xhaka.

    1. Agree Sean, a good CM is as important for us as a good defender, we have three DMs at the moment n one AM Ozil who can not play as CM. Most of our struggle is because of this, we can’t transition n when pressure is on can’t keep the ball and last important thing no one to produce that magic from midfield. Looks like we are making a move for two of the CBs n I hope they both turn out to be good….but I have doubts because if they were so good then why are they loaned by their parent clubs. Normally even the season is off in some part of world, clubs don’t loan the players who they think are quality and can fetch them good value in market. Hope I am proven wrong.

  7. He looks a clever player going by the clips, he stays on his feet, and he seems to tackle and intercept very well (with aplomb). Some downside with his pace but I don’t think he’s as slow as some are making out, he seems to win his first tackle in all the clips as it isn’t showing recovery tackles, and besides, most CB’s at 6ft 3 are not as nippy as 5ft 6 forwards, you get exceptions but generally the smaller or skinnier players are quicker.

    My main concern would be that he was at city but this is the first I’m hearing about him, and he’s 26 I read.

    We really have no option other than to hope that Edu and our other SA guys have plucked us a ripe one that went under the radar. There is the possibility of him being seen as competition for our eventual starting CB’s, and needed right now – Before getting a couple of players off the books when returning to transfer market in summer and seeing what’s what.

    More Brazilians/Portuguese speakers, players coming from out that way, in our side will possibly help us to keep Martinelli away from Spain. We love you Martinelli!!! Welcome Mari, welcome to the Arsenal, and welcome to JustArsenal.

  8. Lacazette I think is being wrongly judged and mistreated recently. That is really painful and unfair. He is one of the best in his position. What is also important is that his skills and abilities complement that of Auba, and his impact in team playing is immense. Let us be fair.

    1. My cat would be an upgrade to Mustafi! Just saying. He can at least move quickly and has lightning reactions. Do you know, I am beginning to take my own comment seriously! We MUST get rid of MUSTAFI, WHO HAS BEEN A TOTAL DISASTER.

  9. Like the comment of one of my fellow fan moshan what do you mean that you have never seen a central defender move I January when did sol Campbell move from spurs to arsenal ,when did van Dirk move from Southampton to Liverpool so a good defender can move anytime be it January or in the summer transfer market for me let Pablo Mari first while we look for other central defender to supplement the ones we have then let those ones we don’t need go in the summer eg Mustafi up boomers for live,

  10. I think this is sticking plaster time. Mar might be useful but is just sticky tape. If we also brought Marvienko in, he seems a real player, we could move forward. The Kroenke’s are not lovers of Arsenal like me and you….how sad because Matvienko is not at all expensive. I cannot tell you how poor I see the Kroenke’s. They have hurt my team. They are not fit to own our club. We could really help our defensive problems with these two players…..cheaply.

  11. a Spanish 26 years old playing in Brazil. lets be honest, this guy can’t be an upgrade to what we have. we don’t need another average CB. better wait for the summer than stuffing our squad and than saying in the summer that we have enough CBs.

    1. If we don’t improve our defence….NOW…..we may not be in the Premiership next season. We have a negative goal difference. Mustafi, Luiz….if we can’t improve them we should close the club down.

      1. Really.? Arsenal going down? Two more matches and the goal difference will be positive- if one does not see the difference in our play now I don’t have any comments. A good defender and a midfielder will see us fighting

        1. Indian Gooner

          We are where we are right now. Man U and the Spuds went down once. What are you saying Arsenal have God on their side? Results speak the real language of sport. If the club does not improve the defence we will let in more goals than we score. It’s like that now in the present moment. Of f****** course I don’t want us to go down but we are in reality not a Tolkien Novel. We need to get a better defence…..Now.

  12. I watched his highlights on YouTube. He is tall and slow. Are we buying another Metersacker? We need a quick defender who can run across the pitch and close down defenders when we are being counter attacked. Someone like Thomas Vermaelen or Laurent Koscielny. I hope Pablo proves me wrong

    1. A Vermaelen type player didnt work when vermaelen was actually here… we need someone with calm and focus who can actually read the game well and help organise us on the field

      1. Verm was a very good defender n him with koscielny would have been ideal pairing for arsenal both quick and excellent defenders. Sadly verm was too injury prone that was his downfall not his ability.

    2. Even metersacker was far better than what we have now in mustafi, luiz,and socratis. Though slow but read the game well.

  13. If you want a reference about this guy just go back and watch the the final of Clubs in Qatar when Liverpool could not dominated Flamengo and took them an extra time goal to win the Cup.As I mention in other comment in this site;to play for a big team like Flamengo in the brasilian championship,a player have to have a lot of qualities not to common in the Premier central backs,plus his height will make with Saliba next year the taller defensive pair in the competition.I thing I was the first to mention this news thanks to my contact in Southamerica.Now we need a midfielder to fight for that four spot.

    1. Agreed, Georgy; the Liverpool forwards had trouble getting past him and he must have impressed Edu, who based on his success with Martinelli, knows a bit about footballers, compared to many on this site.

  14. OT.. Oh great, Atkinson is refereeing the Bournemouth game and Mike Dean is on var…. these 2 screwed us the other week…

    1. Mike Dean was a crook and may still be a crook. Do Leopards change their spots? I don’t think so.

  15. What we need majorly is change of attitude of our players and within few weeks of arteta drill, we have seen their ability, for now, mustafi and ozil are damaged beyond repairs.arteta is not convinced with all our CBs except chambers which is injured. Willock and guedouzi are still learning. This is the main reason why he is pursuing 2CBs and Lemar. Hope he get 2 out of the 3 and Hope Arteta8 is our own zidane.

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