Pablo Mari has told Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport that he wants to leave Arsenal this summer – and stay at Udinese. The defender is currently on loan at the Serie A side, but the loan does not include a permanent deal.
Mari, 28, initially joined Arsenal on loan from Flamengo in January 2020 before a loan was made permanent that summer for £7million (90Min). But in the 18 months he has spent at Arsenal, he has played just 22 times.
In January of this year, he completed a loan move to Udinese where he has since been first choice – starting eight of the 10 Serie A games he has been available. He missed the first having only joined a few days prior.
There is no permanent clause in his loan at Udinese and he remains on the books at Arsenal until the summer of 2024. But Mari made it clear that he is keen on staying at Udinese, and taking them higher in the Serie A table.
“It’s the right championship [Serie A] for me. Very tactical. I try to bring the attacker towards me,” Mari said. “There is battle and I like the battle on the pitch in Italy. I am very happy at Udinese.
“And I would be happy to take the club even higher in the standings. Of course, I still have two years on my contract with Arsenal,” Mari continued, in his interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport.
Mari on Udinese: Arsenal need to cash in on Spanish defender
The issue is, is that Arsenal signed Mari for a small fee and he has since struggled. It means that the Gunners are hardly going to get a lot of cash for Mari, if they do choose to sell him permanently. But it needs to happen.
It gets his wages off the bill at Arsenal, and it is the right choice for Mari’s career path. Ben White and Gabriel are first choice at The Emirates and Mari stands no chance of breaking in. Even for a small fee, he needs to go.
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