Tag Archives: Pablo Mari

Willian Signs with Arsenal

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Willian is switching sides…

The 32-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and midfielder, whose full name is Willian Borges da Silva, has signed with Arsenal on a free transfer after his departure from Chelsea.

Willian

Willian ended his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge and signed a three-year deal with the Gunners.

Willian’s deal is worth a reported £220,000-a-week.

“I believe he’s a player that can really make a difference for us,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said. “We have been monitoring him for the past few months, we had a clear intention to strengthen in the attacking midfielder and the winger positions, [and] he is a player that gives us a lot of versatility, he can play in three or four different positions.

“He has the experience of everything in the football world but to still have the ambition to come here and contribute to bring the club where it belongs. I have been really impressed with all the talks I have had with him and how much he wanted to come.”

Arteta is looking to strengthen his squad ahead of next season. William Saliba joined them after Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares signed permanent deals in June.

Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea — which Willian missed because of an Achilles injury — means they can at least offer Europa League football next season.

Willian won two Premier League titles, the Europa League, the FA Cup and the League Cup during his time at Chelsea.

David Luiz Looking to Extend Contract with Arsenal

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David Luiz could be staying put…

The 33-year-old Brazilian professional footballer’s future will be resolved this week with all parties working towards extending his stay at Arsenal, according to the player’s agent Kia Joorabchian.

David Luiz

Luiz’s existing agreement expires at the end of this month (June 30) having only signed a one-year contract when joining the club from Chelsea in an £8 million deal last summer.

The Gunners have an option to sign him for another year but a decision hasn’t been made yet and Luiz’s case wasn’t helped by a calamitous performance in Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

After being dropped from the starting lineup, Luiz came on as a first-half substitute for Pablo Mari, made a mistake for the opening goal and was then sent off for conceding a penalty, which Kevin De Bruyneconverted.

His appearance lasted 25 minutes. Afterwards, Luiz decided to conduct a live television interview in which he expressed his regret that his contract situation has not been resolved before now.

For players whose contracts expire this summer, the deadline to extend for the end of the 2019-20 season is June 23.

And Joorabchian hinted in an interview with talkSPORTon Thursday morning that the delay is linked to ongoing contractual negotiations with several other players including Mari, Cedric Soares, Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who are about to enter the final year of their deals.

“The situation from Arsenal’s point of view will be resolved this week,” he said. “I think it’s just not Luiz’s situation. There are several issues within the whole structure that will get resolved. June 23 is the deadline for most of the clubs to renew their contracts so that they can finish the season off and beyond. So irrespective of any situation, by June 23 everyone’s situation should be resolved.

Pablo Mari to Join Arsenal on Loan

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Pablo Mari is headed to Londontown…

The 26-year-old Spanish professional footballer, currently a central defender for the Brazilian club Flamengo, has agreed a move to Arsenal on loan until the end of the season, with the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

Pablo Mari

The move ends what turned out to be a topsy-turvy transfer deal that initally stalled and saw the defender return to Brazil.

The clubs seemingly agreed to the deal last weekend, with Mari traveling from Rio de Janeiro to London to undergo a medical and sign with the Premier Leagueside.

However, negotiations suffered a setback on Mondaywith Mari then returning to Brazil.

Mari put pressure on the Flamengo’s hierarchy to accept Arsenal’s offer and sources told ESPN the deal was never dead despite Flamengo putting out a statement criticizing Arsenal’s attitude.

Nonetheless, the deal now sees Mari reunite with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. Mari was on Manchester City‘s books between 2016 and 2019 — where Arteta served as an assistant for Pep Guardiola— but never actually played for the first team.

He’s due to return to London now that the deal is agreed and become Arteta’s first signing at Arsenal.

“Pablo is an experienced player who will provide us with additional defensive quality,” Arsenal technical director Edusaid.

“We have been monitoring Pablo’s career for a while and we are very pleased to have reached 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.”