Report: Arsenal may not sign £10 million Pablo Mari after injury setback

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Arsenal may reconsider plans to sign Spanish defender Pablo Mari on a permanent deal after his recent injury setback, according to reports. 

Mari injured his ankle in the first-half against Manchester City in the Premier League restart and was replaced by David Luiz.

It has since been confirmed he suffered ankle ligament damage and will miss the rest of the campaign. The Daily Mail suggested surgery may be necessary and Mari is set for a long period on the sidelines. 

Mari is only on loan at Arsenal from the Brazilian side Flamengo. However, it was widely believed that deal would be made permanent in the summer, with Mikel Arteta believed to be impressed by the defender.

However, Gazeta Esportiva in Brazil is now suggesting that Arsenal may now reconsider signing off on that deal, reportedly (The Sun) worth an overall fee of £10 million 

Considering the global health crisis and the impact on Arsenal’s finances it is easy to understand why. The Gunners will not want to pay out for a player who may be on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time. If sufficiently serious, Mari might not be back in action until 2021. 

It would be a massive blow for Mari, who told an Arsenal Reddit Q&A session earlier this year of his desire to ‘fight together with Arsenal’ as a permanent fixture. 

Fate may have just thrown a massive spanner in the works of that plan.