Arsenal boss Arteta provides timeline for Mari, Cedric debuts

Will Ford

Arsenal new boy Pablo Mari could be in line to make his Gunners debut against Newcastle next Sunday after impressing Mikel Arteta on a training camp in Dubai.

The defender was not selected for the Gunners’ 0-0 draw at Burnley earlier in the month as Arteta opted to gradually introduce him into the team.

And although fellow new arrival Cedric Soares still needs time, Arteta has hinted Mari could now be ready to start sooner.

“With Pablo maybe a little bit more than Cedric, but we have to go step by step,” Arteta told Arsenal’s website.

“He is a new player and I am sure he is very excited and wants to prove everything in three days, so we have to manage him wisely.”

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Mari arrived on six-month loan for a fee of around £4million but he will then join the club permanently in the summer with further add-ons.

Arsenal are currently 10th in the Premier League table, and 10 points adrift of rivals Chelsea in the fourth and final Champions League spot.

 

 

But Arteta is encouraged by his side’s progress since he took charge in late December: “I have made a big review of what we have done so far in these five or six weeks, the things where we can improve, the areas where we have improved and that we have to maintain, that we cannot lose. Hopefully we can make another step forward as a team now.”