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Arsenal: 3 players immediately effected by Pablo Mari signing

By Josh Sippie

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 23: Pablo Mari celebrates after scoring the fourth goal of his team during a second leg semi-final match between Flamengo and Gremio as part of Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores at Maracana Stadium on October 23, 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 23: Pablo Mari celebrates after scoring the fourth goal of his team during a second leg semi-final match between Flamengo and Gremio as part of Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores at Maracana Stadium on October 23, 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal have announced the incoming loan of Pablo Mari, and now we want to know who he’s elbowing out of the way. Here are the three guys most effected.

Arsenal, Pablo Mari
Arsenal, Pablo Mari (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /

An underwhelming signing is still a signing nonetheless, and Arsenal fans and Mikel Arteta alike will be eager to see just what Pablo Mari can do. But given that he comes into a position that already has a lot of personnel, the question now becomes who he is going to be pushing out of the way for playing time.

Needless to say, this defense hasn’t been great. Since Mikel Arteta took over, it’s been better. David Luiz and Sokratis have been remarkably impressive. But between the Luiz suspension, the Sokratis injury, Holding’s inconsistency, Mustafi’s Mustafi-ing and the great unknown surrounding out centerbacks, Pablo Mari could mean a hell of a lot.

Or he could mean very little. But what needs to happen now is experimentation. Finding that best combo. And with that in mind, let’s dig right in to the three guys most effected by this signing. The guys feeling the sharp elbows of the new arrival.

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We start with No. 3.

3. Sokratis

Sokratis isn’t in immediate danger from Pablo Mari. I still have to believe that Arteta will favor the Luiz/Sokratis combination since it has been so surprisingly effective. But the first person who will be on the chopping block should the current defensive pairing go awry is Sokratis, not Luiz.

Call it a direct result of having Edu in charge, bringing us this Brazilian connection we’ve never had before. I personally would love to see Mari paired up with David Luiz. I have a thing for countrymen connections such as that. And Sokratis has been volatile at times this year, so it’s not like Sokratis won’t feel the pressure of the new arrival.

If nothing else, Sokratis could be effected in a positive way, as he will know that there is a more immediate threat to his job than there was before. And you know how beneficial internal competition is. It’s pretty much the greatest thing ever,

On to No. 2.

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