Arsenal: Pablo Mari’s job is actually incredibly easy

Arsenal have announced the incoming loan of centerback Pablo Mari, and for the new arrival, his job is an incredibly simple one.

Arsenal signed a new defender! A brand new, left-footed centerback, which to fans has to feel like something akin to finding then holy grail. The only thing is that he’s relatively unknown, he’s only on a loan with an option to buy, and he has very little buzz around his arrival, other than being a centerback who happens to be left-footed.

What does this mean? Well, in the immediate context, it means that Pablo Mari‘s job is incredibly easy. There wouldn’t have been another Arsenal signing with as easy a job as Mari has. All that we need from him? Just don’t screw up. Just don’t be a complete flop.

I know this is an underwhelming signing, but we don’t need him to anchor this defense for the next decade. We literally just need him to help us get through to the end of the season.

His expectations are so beautifully low that even if he does flop, well, he was just a loan. We can send him right back where he came from.

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But speaking of low expectations, that often has a way of manifesting itself into something quite positive. Think of Matteo Guendouzi or Gabriel Martinelli. Both came in with zero expectations and flourished. Compare that to Nicolas Pepe or Granit Xhaka. Two incredible players who, because they had such high expectations, can’t be judged fairly.

Pablo Mari isn’t here to challenge William Saliba for the future of this defense. He isn’t here to go toe to toe with David Luiz for top of the defensive pile, or to challenge for the captain’s armband. He’s here because we have a ridiculous amount of injuries and uncertainties in this back line.

That said, the fact that Edu and Raul Sanllehi have been watching him and advocating for him makes me more than a little bit excited. I love players with no expectations for all the reason outlined above. Give me someone that all our opposing fans make fun of, because I want to see him rub their noses in it.

Pablo Mari is a smart signing. He’s a practical signing. And if we play(ed) our cards right, he could end up being a massive signing as well, if he can just prove solid enough to shore up this defense until the end of the year.