Evaluation of Arsenal’s Transfers – Mari, Cedric and Saliba by ArsenalAfroArmy
Mari (LCB)
25 yo, 6’4” Left footed
Much needed mettle to our soft left. I applaud the recruitment team for this, as only until recently I realised the hole we have there. Capable of deputising for Luiz if necessary and adds much needed experience to the young left as well. He is slow though, pulling down the average speed of our defensive unit. Before joining, his last injury was back in 2017 yet it did not take him long to see our doctors which is a concern. £5M loan plus £9M purchase for a total of £14M. An empty hole we just filled at that price, good business, hopefully he stays fit.
Cedric (RB)
27,5’8” Right footed
Slower and older than our current options but what he does bring is balance to our top-heavy right. His performance so far seems solid, nothing to really shout about yet. I’ve seen gifs of his free kicks so that’s something to look forward to. 5M for the loan, join on a free, nothing exciting.
Saliba (RCB)
18yo, 6’4” Right-footed
One of 2 giants recently added. Reports commonly point to his pure physical attributes, both pacey and strong. We went to great lengths including a loan back and a relatively large sum for a young CB. Pre-Arteta arrival, but a welcome addition to our defensive unit that have been screaming for an RCB capable of shouldering the defensively weak right. Others currently vying for the spot are Mustafi, Sokratis and Holding. Someone is getting sold, Sokratis>Holding>Mustafi in terms of likelihood. £27M plus the loan back for a potential long term solution looks good, assuming he doesn’t get infected by the injury plague common amongst our defence. Also nice hair.
Thanks for reading!
ArsenalAfroArmy