Arsenal man completes Serie A transfer after being frozen out by Mikel Arteta
Arsenal centre-back Pablo Mari has joined Serie A team Udinese on loan for the remainder of the season.
Mari, 28, featured in Arsenal’s first two Premier League games of the campaign, which ended in 2-0 defeats to Brentford and Chelsea. He clearly failed to impress manager Mikel Arteta as he has been kept out of the squad for all but one of their league fixtures since.
Mari’s only other appearance this term came in September’s Carabao Cup third round win over AFC Wimbledon.
The Spaniard’s clear lack of game time meant a January exit was always likely. And it has now been confirmed, as the player will join up with Gabriele Cioffi’s men.
Following the announcement of the deal, Mari said: “I am so happy to be here, it’s a pleasure.
“I want to say hello to all the Udinese fans, I am here to give everything for the club. I hope we’re going to get a lot of wins here and at away games, so we need you.”
Pablo Mari could return to the Arsenal fold
Despite Mari being frozen out by Arteta, sources suggest the defender still has a future at the Emirates.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Mari’s loan does not include an option to buy for Udinese. The Gunners hope to reintegrate him into the team next season, should he return with a bit more confidence after getting regular game time.
Mari becomes the third player to leave Arsenal during the January transfer window. Ainsley Maitland-Niles will spend the rest of the season on loan at Roma.
Bosnian left-back Sead Kolasinac, meanwhile, has left the club permanently to sign an 18-month contract with Marseille.
How many points Newcastle may need to stay in the Premier League – 40 not the magic number
Arsenal have rival for winger signing
Meanwhile, Burnley have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Tottenham conqueror Mislav Orsic, according to the latest transfer rumours.
Orsic is a left winger who represents Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatia national team. He came up against Tottenham in the Europa League last season and made a big impression.
The 29-year-old scored a brilliant hat-trick to dump Spurs out of the competition and send Dinamo Zagreb into the quarter-final, where they lost to eventual winners Villarreal.
The Zagreb-born attacker clearly has the ability to make it in a bigger league and could move to England in January.
According to The Sun, Sean Dyche’s Burnley are preparing to rival Arsenal for Orsic.
Arsenal have been admirers of the star ever since his stunning performance against Spurs, but they could now lose out.
Burnley have funds available following Chris Wood’s £25m switch to Newcastle a week ago. And they could spend some of it on Orsic, as a £10m bid is being planned.
READ MORE: Arteta set for Aubameyang victory as Arsenal receive loan-to-buy offer from surprise suitors
The post Arsenal man completes Serie A transfer after being frozen out by Mikel Arteta appeared first on TEAMtalk.