Arsenal sign Pablo Mari from Flamengo on loan

The Gunners have agreed to pay a £4 million loan fee for the 26-year-old center-back and they will have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer for about £8 million. This comes less than a day after Sky Sports and various other news outlets reported that the deal between the two sides was hanging in the balance after the former Manchester City man returned to Brazil.

“Pablo is an experienced player who will provide us with additional defensive quality. We have been monitoring Pablo’s career for a while and we are very pleased to have reached the agreement with Flamengo for him to join us initially until the end of our season. Together with Mikel and his coaching team, we are all looking forward to seeing Pablo in an Arsenal shirt,” said Edu to Arsenal’s website.

Reports then indicated that Arsenal changed the terms of the deal for the defender with the two clubs now finally coming to an agreement over a move this month. The move makes him the club’s first signing under Mikel Arteta since the Spaniard took over in December. Flamengo have already thanked the defender for his contributions to their double-winning season with the Brazilian side winning the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian Serie A.

“I think we need to put the plans to one side for now because the most important thing is to take things one day at a time and focus on achieving short-term goals. We need to change the dynamic around the team, so the short-term objectives are the most important thing. As I’ve said, we have Mikel’s ideas, aligned with the club, and we need to perform very well to change things,” Mari told Arsenal’s website.