Pablo Mari arrives in London ahead of Arsenal transfer

Spanish defender, Pablo Mari, has landed in London for a medical with Arsenal this weekend.

A tweet on Friday night showed Mari in conversation with Arsenal technical director Edu at Galeao Airport in Rio de Janeiro.

Pablo Mari has just arrived at Heathrow with Edu and he tell me he is excited to be joining Arsenal.

Medical to take place this weekend.

And then the pair were filmed walking through Heathrow Airport together on Saturday.

Asked if he is excited to sign for Arsenal, Mari replied: “Yes of course.”

As reported by ESPN, the Flamengo centre-back, 26, is thought to be on the verge of completing a transfer to the Emirates.

The Gunners are in need of another centre-back with Calum Chambers ruled out for the season and Shkodran Mustafi continuing to struggle.

And it appears Mikel Arteta is ready to move for a familiar face.

Throwback to when Pablo Mari pocketed Mane and Salah in Club World cup. pic.twitter.com/IMaHh4QpHr

— AfcVIP⁴⁹ (@VipArsenal) January 25, 2020

Mari spent three years on the books with Manchester City between 2016 and 2019 while Arteta was Pep Guardiola’s assistant.

The defender did spend all three seasons out on loan – at Girona, NAC Breda and Deportivo La Coruna – and did not make a first-team appearance for City before joining Flamengo last summer.

But he has made an instant impact in Brazil, winning the Brasilian Serie A and the Copa Libertadores by the end of 2019.

Mari then featured for Flamengo at the Club World Cup and played the full 120 minutes as the South American champions were edged out 1-0 by Liverpool in the final.

David Luiz has established himself as Arteta’s first-choice centre-back since the new manager came in – in part due to injuries elsewhere.

Sokratis, meanwhile, missed the draws with Sheffield United and Chelsea due to illness.

Rob Holding has returned to action after missing almost two months due to a knee problem.

But the extra reinforcements at the back will no doubt be welcome news for Arsenal fans, who have seen their side concede 34 goals in 24 Premier League matches this season.

Read Also:Arteta on the verge of signing Flamengo defender

Arteta hinted that Arsenal may be going after more than just a defender in this January transfer window.