Since he arrived at Arsenal in 2019, Mikel Arteta has now welcomed more than 30 new players through the door be it on loan or on a permanent basis.
During that time, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz have arguably been Arteta’s flagship signings at Arsenal, two players who arrived in the same summer.
Otherwise, the Spaniard also encouraged a significant spend on Ben White, Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey in the past too.
As is the case for every manager in world football, not all deals have been successful long-term.
Although, some were intended for more of an immediate fix, as was seemingly the case with the arrival of Pablo Mari from Flamengo – the first signing of the Arteta era.
Pablo Mari was Mikel Arteta’s first signing at Arsenal
Brazilian centre-back Mari initially arrived on loan at the Emirates Stadium, a deal that was later made permanent by the club.
Arteta knew Mari from their time together at Manchester City, a left-footed centre-back who also had a physical edge to his game.
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In total, Mari played 22 games for Arsenal before he was loaned to Udinese in Serie A and then eventually sold to Monza in 2023, where he still resides today.
The 31-year-old was rarely a poor performer for Arteta, a player who helped transition Arsenal in a new way of playing, but ultimately better options then became available.
Now, Mari has begun captaining Monza since November in the Serie A, a defender who hasn’t missed a single league minute this season.
The former Arsenal man has found success playing as the club’s left-sided centre-back in a back three.
Monza are struggling down in 19th in Italy, but Mari has definitely been a key part of the club’s remarkable defensive record, only conceding 19 goals in 15 games despite their table position.
Why did Pablo Mari leave Arsenal?
Speaking back in 2022, Mari spoke quite candidly about his decision to leave Arsenal, complimenting both Arteta and Pep Guardiola in the process, who he worked with at Man City.
Mari spoke about the duo in the same breath, a compliment for Arteta both then and now.
He said: “I haven’t had any luck at Arsenal, but when I’ve been on the pitch, I think I’ve given a very good level.
“In the end, there comes a point where you have to make decisions.”
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“Arteta is one of the best managers I’ve come across. He helped me a lot to understand football better. It’s an idea very similar to Guardiola’s, but with its nuances.
“Pep is one of the great coaches in history. He is a master class day by day. One minute with him will last a lifetime. Every footballer would want to be under his orders.
“Footballers always want to be around people like that because they grow tremendously as footballers and as people.”
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