Mari - How the Arsenal move unfolded for me

The signing of Pablo Mari from Flamengo caught many by surprise - but what was it like from our new centre back's perspective?



The Spaniard became the first new addition of the Mikel Arteta era, and says it is a major moment in his career.

 

"When I spoke to my agent, it was a big thing that Arsenal were interested in me," he told Arsenal Player. "This is one of the best clubs in the world, so I’m absolutely delighted to be joining. I’m really looking forward to playing in this jersey and helping my team.

 

"The conversations started a couple of weeks ago. Arsenal told us that they were interested. We’d just won everything with Flamengo – I won the league and the Copa Libertadores and was also named best centre-back in America, so that will have helped Arsenal notice me.

 

"It’s a great achievement for me to come to Arsenal and it all happened in basically two weeks.

 

"I’m kind of used to [all the media attention the move has received] from Brazil, where the fans are really passionate about Flamengo," he added. "I’m used to a lot of media interest so I know what to expect when joining a big club like this one. It’s a normal thing for me now."