Left-back Sead Kolasinac left Arsenal by mutual consent before quickly completing a transfer to Olympique Marseille. Meanwhile, centre-back Pablo Mari is reportedly on the verge of signing for Udinese on loan until the end of the season.
The Gunners confirmed Kolasinac’s departure with a statement on Tuesday night, bringing an end to his four-and-a-half-year stint in North London. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international was due to become a free agent in six months.
Kolasinac joined Arsenal in summer 2017 on a free transfer from Schalke 04. The Gunners reportedly beat rivals Chelsea, to his signature, and he repaid their faith by scoring in his official debut for the club in the Community Shield against the Blues.
The 28-year-old was a key feature of the Arsenal line-up for his first three seasons at the club, but he lost his spot to Kieran Tierney eventually. As a result, he spent the latter half of the previous season on loan at his former club Schalke before returning to North London.
He joins Arsenal loanees Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba at the Orange Velodrome and becomes Marseille’s second signing of the winter after striker Cedric Bakambu, who joined from BJ Guoan earlier this month.
Partey coming back to London early. Chelsea dropping points. Kolasinac to Marseille confirmed. Marí to Udinese all but announced. Ødegaard back in training. Not a bad Tuesday.
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) January 18, 2022
Despite canceling their recent league game against rivals Tottenham Hotspur due to the lack of personnel available, the Gunners have also decided to sanction Pablo Mari’s move to Serie A side Udinese.
Mari will join the Italian outfit on a six-month loan deal without the option or the obligation to convert it into a permanent one at the end of the loan period.
The Spaniard has barely featured for the Gunners this term, with manager Mikel Arteta preferring to stick with his first-choice central defender partnership of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes.
The confirmation of Mari’s transfer to Udinese should arrive soon, barring any late hitches. The defender will become Arsenal’s fourth departure this winter, following in the footsteps of Folarin Balogun (loaned to Middlesbrough), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (loaned to AS Roma), and Kolasinac.
