Mikel Arteta makes Pablo Mari claim after Arsenal return

Add as preferred source on Google

Mikel Arteta has admitted that it was probably unfair to bring Pablo Mari back into his Arsenal side so quickly following the defender’s recent return from injury, in comments reported by The Telegraph.

Mari endured a difficult start to life at the club. He only made a handful of appearances while on loan before an injury ended his season.

Nevertheless, the Gunners decided to make his move permanent. The Telegraph reports Arsenal spent £12 million in total on the Spaniard.

That appeared to be a gamble – but only until Mari made his return in December. The 27-year-old took little time to impress in the Europa League. And he has since forced his way into the Premier League side with his form.

Interestingly however, Arteta has now suggested that bringing Mari back into the fold so quickly was not the initial plan.

“We had to throw him in because we had some injuries and suspensions and it probably was not even fair for him because he has missed a lot of football in the last year,” he said, as reported by The Telegraph.

“But he is a leader. He is someone who trains really hard, he is really professional. He is a great communicator on the pitch and he gives you some security, some stability. Three clean sheets in a row — he fully deserves his chance to play.

“When he was not playing, when he was injured, when he is playing, all the time he is the same person, trying to help everybody.”

Admittedly, the defender has still only played a small number of games for the club. But he does boast a remarkable record in the early stages of his Gunners career.

Arsenal have won eight of the nine games in which Mari – who earns £85,000-a-week, according to Spotrac – has featured. And the only defeat so far came against Manchester City with all three goals coming after he had been taken off with injury.

There are likely to be setbacks for Mari ahead if he can keep his place in the team. Arsenal are still building. But there is no question that he has made a fine start to vindicating the club’s decision to sign him permanently.