Pablo Mari has all the attributes to be a top Premier League defender.
Arsenal has just completed the signing of Pablo Mari from Flamengo. The Spaniard becomes Mikel Arteta’s first signing and hopefully, he will help Arsenal fix their leaky defence ahead of the latter half of the season.
Mari has been an unknown quantity to most English football fans, but here are five things you should know about him.
He is a winner
Pablo Mari has just helped Flamengo win both the Brazilian Serie A and South America’s version of the Champions League. He also helped the Brazilians to the Club World Cup final where they faced Liverpool.
He should bring a winning mentality to the current Arsenal backline.
He’s a left-footed centre back
Mari as a player is left-footed and Arsenal fans can begin to see him as their answer to Aymeric Laporte. He would provide the right balance when he is partnered with the likes of David Luiz or Shkodran Mustafi.
He is not afraid to make a tackle
Mari is known more for his ball-playing abilities, however, the Spaniard is also good in the tackle. He is hard but fair.
He is not fast but his reading of the game is impeccable
Being a fast centre back seems to be a good thing nowadays as attackers become increasingly fast.
However, knowing how to read the game is even more important and that has been the secret of some of the best defenders in the game. Mari is a smart defender and that should help those around him.
He is big enough to combat any attacker
Pablo Mari is 6’3 and that is a good height for a centre back. He is also physically well-built.
His height and body mass make him the perfect Premier League defender and he will be a formidable opponent to those that play against him.