Pablo Mari has revealed how Mikel Arteta convinced him to join his revolution at Arsenal.
Mari became Mikel Arteta’s first signing as a senior manager when he joined the Gunners initially on a six months loan deal last month.
He had just won the Brazilian league as well as the Copa Libertadores with Flamengo and looked to be on top of the world.
However, when Arsenal came calling it was too good a chance for him to turn down and he has revealed that Arteta made him join the Gunners.
Arteta had been looking to fill the void left by the long term injury of Calum Chambers as well as the poor form of some of his other defenders.
The Spaniard knows Mari when the 26 years old signed for Manchester City before being sent out on several loan deals.
While speaking to the Arsenal website, Mari said:
“When you build a good group and have a coaching philosophy like Mikel’s, I think he can completely change Arsenal and the current dynamic around the team.
“I think as a coach he has everything it takes to achieve that, plus he has a very good side with top players. I think as time goes by and with the day-to-day work from Mikel, we can achieve that.
“Mikel transmitted a lot of confidence to me. He’s a great coach and he’s changing things at a big club.
“It’s really important to have that personality to be able take decisions at a big club during such a tricky time and I think that speaks volumes about Mikel.
“In terms of the system he uses on the pitch, I think he has very clear ideas which reflect my own vision of football. I want to work hard every day and every weekend to repay Mikel’s confidence in me.”
The one thing I find the most interesting aspect of all this is that it was Arteta that did the persuading and not Edu. That is not to take anything anyway from the former invincible, I am sure he had a huge influence but it does confirm that Arteta has the final say on the Arsenal transfers.
I am not sure we could say that about Unai Emery.
Smith Rowe scored one and assisted another!
Let’s have a party!
“it does confirm that Arteta has the final say on the Arsenal transfers.”
It actually doesn’t. Not at all. It simply indicates Arteta is influential in who we get.
Aubameyang said similar things about Wenger when he joined, yet we know Arsene had no final say anymore by that time.
As long as Mikel is ‘just’ a coach, and just a coach he is, the final say will be with Edu and especially Raul, although I’m sure the next time we again spend more than peanuts the younger Kroenke will be ‘consulted’ (actually begged, I suppose).