Arsenal were heavily criticised for their successful request
Arsenal are set to offload Pablo Mari on loan to Udinese – just days after their request to postpone the North London derby due to a lack of players was accepted.
The Gunners received heavy backlash from fans of other clubs after they told the Premier League they could not meet the criteria of having 13 players available for their game against Tottenham Hotspur.
As reported by The Times, Spurs were left angered by the decision after it emerged that only one player in the Arsenal squad, Martin Odegaard, had tested positive for coronavirus. Arsenal later confirmed a second player had also tested positive.
🚨 Our match against Tottenham on Sunday, January 16 has been postponed. #TOTARS
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 15, 2022
Since the postponement, Arsenal have terminated the contract of full-back Sead Kolasinac and now look set to move on Mari too, whilst previous transfer dealings have seen Folarin Balogun and Ainsley Maitland-Niles head out on loan to Middlesbrough and Roma.
Thank you and good luck, Sead 👊
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 18, 2022
Despite their decision to postpone the Spurs game, there are no concerns surrounding the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg tie against Liverpool tonight (Wednesday) after they recently bolstered their squad by the return of loanees Tyreece John Jules and Miguez Azeez from their loans at Blackpool and Portsmouth.
The Gunners are also rumoured to be looking at bringing in signings during the transfer window, with Mikel Arteta’s side heavily linked with Juventus’ Arthur Melo and Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic.
While the former seems a more realistic option, any move would likely be a loan and will depend on if the Serie A side can find a replacement.
As for Vlahovic, a deal may be harder to strike given the Italian side’s reluctance to sell their star player, as well as the large transfer fee Fiorentina are demanding.
Related links:
- Aubameyang leaves AFCON early to return to Arsenal
- Tottenham issue angry response after Arsenal match postponed
- Tottenham fan starts petition to investigate North London Derby postponement
