Arsenal to bank £6m as Pablo Mari activates permanent Monza transfer

Mikel Arteta's first Arsenal signing has left the club, banking the Gunners £6m to use in the summer transfer window.

Pablo Mari, 29, joined Arsenal on loan from Brazilian side Flamengo in January 2020 before signing on a permanent deal that summer.

He featured regularly during Arteta's first 18 months in charge at the Emirates, but slipped down the pecking order last season following the signings of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes and was later sent out on loan to Italian club Udinese.

The Spaniard joined another Serie A club, Monza, on loan this season and has gone on to make 28 appearances for the club, scoring once.

Mari was forced to undergo surgery on his back in October after he was stabbed in a shopping centre attack in Italy, which left one man dead and five others, including the defender, injured.

Remarkably, he returned to first-team training just two months later.

Included in Mari's loan deal with Monza was a clause to make the move permanent this summer if the club avoided relegation and the defender made a certain number of appearances.

According to the Evening Standard, Mari has activated both of those clauses and, as a result, Arsenal will bank £6m from his permanent move to Italy - with that figure including the initial loan fee.

Mari's praise for Arteta

Despite being loaned out twice by Mikel Arteta during his time at Arsenal, Mari had nothing but praise for the Gunners manager.

Speaking last year, Mari praised Arteta's tactical prowess and described his time working under the Spaniard as a "masterclass".

"To tell you the truth, he has been one of the coaches who has changed my vision of football," the Spaniard told AS.

"He has given me a lot when it comes to playing football. He has tactically given me another point of view. I have done a two-year masterclass with him, and that means that now I can help my colleagues better.

"What matters in football is that a coach can give you the tools so that you can do your best in the game. I think that's what he does. He is a coach who gives you just three details before the match…and they work.

"What he says is what then happens."