Pablo Mari now won’t be joining Arsenal, according to a report.
Well, it looks like Pablo Mari won’t be joining Arsenal after all.
The Spanish centre-back arrived in North London for a medical last week and was even photographed with the Gunners’ technical director Edu at the airport.
It seemed only a matter of time before Arsenal announced a deal to sign the defender but now it looks like the transfer has collapsed.
According to The Mail, Mari, who would’ve cost £7.5 million, is heading back to Flamengo in Brazil and Globo Esporte claimed today that the switch is now ‘unlikely’ to materialise.
The North Londoners need another centre-back after Calum Chambers was ruled out for the season and now it remains to be seen whether Edu can get one over the line before Friday’s deadline.
Here’s how fans of the Emirates Stadium club reacted to the twist on Twitter:
Despite the medical, it would appear as if Arsenal and the Copa Libertadores champions never actually agreed a deal for the 26-year-old.
If true, it’s something of a farce and it remains to be seen which club is in the wrong.
The bottom line is that Edu needs more centre-backs – and fast. With Dinos Mavropanos also having left to join Nurnberg on loan, it leaves Mikel Arteta with one less central defender.
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