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Pablo Mari

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Various sources, mainly from Brazil, have been reporting that Flamengo centre-back Pablo Mari is on his way to the Gunners. This came out of nowhere, with fans across social media reluctant to believe reports due to previous rumours coming out of Brazil with little truth. However it does appear that Mari will become Arteta’s first signing, as Journalist Charlie Watts videoed the Spaniard at Heathrow Airport with technical director Edu, where he said he was “excited” to join Arsenal. One aspect that is still up in the air is whether the deal will be an initial loan with an option to buy or a straight purchase of just under €10 million euros. The deal should be completed within the next couple of days, providing he passes a medical, here are my thoughts on the signing:

My thoughts– I will be honest, I haven’t seen Mari play apart from the game against Liverpool in the Super Cup Final. From that 90 minutes he looked good, commanding in the air, decent positional play leading to a couple of good tackles. He will definitely bring a different dimension to our defence which we haven’t had for a while, some much needed height and presence at the back. In Arteta’s system where players aren’t as exposed I feel he could thrive, as his lack of pace won’t be a problem and as he can play with the ball at his feet, with the added bonus of being left footed it could work nicely. On the other hand, the fact he was deemed not good enough at Man City and didn’t set the world alight at Deportivo La Coruña does worry me a bit, however there is no point in writing a player off before they have kicked a ball for us.

At the time of writing this there are many conflicting reports with some sources claiming that the deal is off as a result of Arsenal not being able to pay the fee agreed, whereas Sky Sports are saying that the player was always due to return to Brazil and that negotiations are still ongoing. Let’s see how this one pans out…

Likelihood: 8/10

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Thomas Lemar

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Over the last week or so, stories have broken out that Lemar is unhappy at Atletico Madrid, which isn’t hard to believe and that Arsenal are in talks to sign the Frenchman. El Golazo de Gol reported that he was close to joining us in a €40 million euro deal, however that hasn’t really progressed in the last couple of days. On the other hand, there are other sources, which say the Gunners are interested in an initial loan deal with the option to buy in the summer, this would be a smart bit of business from the board. The latest on the situation is that the move could go either way, with not much time left in the window, both sides need to move fast if it’s to be done.

My thoughts- If the deal is a loan with the option to buy for around €35-40 million euros in the summer then I think this would be a very good signing. Lemar has clearly shown that he has talent, creating and scoring many goals at Monaco, and even though it hasn’t worked out at Madrid he’s still only 24 years old. It is hard for attacking players to thrive in Simone’s ridged defensive structure, however under Arteta we have looked free flowing when going forward, a style that is much more suited to Lemar’s attributes. Couple this with the fact he can play in multiple different positions including both wings and in the number 10, I see this as a deal we need to get done. With Mesut Özil struggling for form, the 24 year-old could bring some extra creativity to our midfield, sitting behind a front three of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe it would be lethal.

Likelihood: 5/10

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Mykola Matviyenko

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Rumours about this transfer have only started recently, with various sources claiming Arsenal are in talks with the 23 year-old. The link originally came from Arteta, as he was impressed with the Ukrainian’s performances against Manchester City earlier on in the season, ever since then he has been keen to track his progress. Some sources are claiming that the Gunners have tabled an initial loan deal with the obligation to buy for around £30 million in the summer. His agent recently said “Recently, my colleagues and I have been in contact with representatives of the Arsenal and have had meetings. The Gunners’ hierarchy have already contacted Shakhtar and we hope that these negotiations will succeed”. If that’s anything to go by, then hopefully there’s a possibility this deal could be done before Friday’s deadline.

My thoughts– I have only seen him play a handful of times, mainly against Manchester City in the champions league and from what I saw, he looks to be a good player with a lot of experience for his age. Comfortable on the ball and left footed, it’s the perfect combination for what Arteta is looking for. This will help speed up our passing out from the back and hopefully mean we can beat opposition’s high press more effectively, in order to progress into attack more frequently and quickly. He’s not the tallest defender at about 6 foot, however he seems very mobile, something which is needed to keep up with the fast pace of the Premier League. Not only this, but the fact he has over 20 international caps at 23 shows he has talent and with the right guidance could be made into a very established player, therefore I would love to see this signing happen.

Likelihood: 6/10

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James Rodriguez

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According to the Daily Mail and other sources, Arsenal and Everton are going head to head in order to sign Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez. His current club, Real Madrid, value him at around £34 million however with Arsenal struggling for funds a loan deal with the option/obligation to buy will be much more likely. Arteta is looking to bolster his attacking options due to injuries and players being out of form, he sees the 28 year old as a player who can bring the creative spark to the midfield.

My thoughts- I believe this would be an interesting signing, we all know he has immense quality on his day, however is he a bit too similar to Özil in the sense of being consistent. If the deal was to be an initial loan with the option to buy in the summer I definitely think it is worth a punt because often in games we lack someone making late runs into the box, looking to score goals from midfield and Rodriguez would bring that. Couple this with his creative skills and ability to cope with the high intensity and press, he could be a strode signing. Not only this, but he brings even more competition for places in the starting 11, something that cannot be underestimated for getting key players back into form, if they think their place in the team is gone. All in all I think this would be a good bit of business for the right price and would be more than happy to welcome him to the team!

Likelihood: 4/10

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