Football

Arsenal star David Luiz reveals what Flamengo manager Jorge Jesus told him about Pablo Mari


Pablo Mari completed a loan move to Arsenal last month (Picture: Getty)

David Luiz is confident ‘great player’ Pablo Mari has what it takes to succeed at Arsenal after talking to Flamengo manager Jorge Jesus about the defender.

Mikel Arteta was desperate to bring in a new addition at centre-back following Calum Chambers’ season-ending knee injury and Mari was identified as a realistic target by the Gunners.

Arsenal and Flamengo agreed a deal for Mari towards the end of the January transfer window and the 26-year-old joined up for training with his new team-mates in Dubai last week.

Mari will hope to be in contention to make his debut when the north London club play host to Newcastle after the winter break.

Arsenal’s players have been at a warm-weather training camp in Dubai (Picture: Getty)

Luiz – who could play alongside Mari at the Emirates next weekend – is convinced the Spaniard will hit the ground running at Arsenal after receiving positive feedback from Flamengo’s head coach.

‘He’s a great player, he did amazing in Brazil under Jorge Jesus, a coach I know very well, he’s my friend and one of the top coaches in the world,’ Luiz said.

‘It was a pleasure for me seeing Pablo and Rodrigo Caio, another friend, doing really well in Brazil. I hope he can help us.

‘I speak with Jorge every week, he’s really my friend. He told me to welcome him in the best way because Pablo is ready to play.’

Jorge Jesus was David Luiz’s manager at Benfica (Picture: Getty)

Luiz added: ‘He was courageous, not scared to try something big.

‘In Brazil [it’s the same] with Jorge Jesus, to go to Brazil as a European coach. He did great and Brazil is improving a lot, especially in a tactical way.

‘Before it was just players with individual talent and not tactics. Now football is improving a lot with in the tactical [approach], like Tite did with Corinthians.

‘Our football is improving a lot, the quality was always there but now the tactical part is.’

Rivaldo thinks Mari will thrive in the Premier League (Picture: Getty)

Brazil legend Rivaldo believes Mari’s game is perfect suited to the English football.

‘I think Pablo Mari will fit in very well at Arsenal and in the Premier League,’ he told The Evening Standard.

‘He is a good player that struggled to impose himself in Europe as a loaned player of Man City for a while, but he really convinced people being part of a great Flamengo team last season.

‘He is very complete as a defender – capable of bringing the ball forward when necessary and a threat on set pieces. He has good passing skills as well and I liked what I saw from him.

‘In Brazil, everyone has good opinion about him, and he could be a very successful option for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.’

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