"You have to make decisions" - Arsenal flop speaks about his performances and playing under Mikel Arteta 

It is almost over two years now since Mikel Arteta took charge of Arsenal after leaving Manchester City, where he was Pep Guardiola's assistant coach. Fans of the club stand divided over their assessment of the Spaniard's reign and there is still some convincing left to do on his part.

With the manager's nod, Arsenal saw as many as 14 players leave the club in the January transfer window. This includes young academy prospects who were loaned out to get more game time and continue their development.

However, it also included an exodus of important first-team stars. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, axed captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Calum Chambers and Sead Kolasinac, among others, left the club in January.

Only time will tell whether these bold decisions, taken by technical director Edu Gaspar and the manager, will help the club in the long-run or not. Another player who left Arsenal in search of more game time was defender Pablo Mari.

The Spaniard made only three appearances in the first half of the season and was way down the pecking order. He joined Serie A side Udinese on loan for the remainder of the season. The player was speaking to Radio MARCA and opened up on how he feels about his time at the club.

“I haven’t had any luck at Arsenal, but when I’ve been on the pitch, I think I’ve given a very good level. In the end, there comes a point where you have to make decisions.”

The centre-back joined the Gunners back in January 2020 from Brazilian club Flamengo. It was initially a loan spell, but was made permanent in July. He knew Arteta from his time at Manchester City, where the player served from 2016 to 2019.

Mari has nothing against the Spanish manager despite his chances being limited to make a place for himself in the Arsenal squad. The defender praised Arteta for his understanding of the game and said:

"Arteta is one of the best managers I’ve come across. He helped me a lot to understand football better. It’s an idea very similar to Guardiola’s, but with its nuances."

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Arsenal loanee Mari impresses on his Serie A debut

The centre-back had switched clubs in order to get more game time and his wish came true almost immediately. Mari made the starting XI for Udinese in their home game against Torino as the hosts emerged victorious with a scoreline of 2-0. The Spaniard made eight clearances and won eight of his 11 individual duels.

It was a commanding display from the defender who was vocal on the night and expressed himself with freedom. He starred in a back-three alongside Rodrigo Becao and Marvin Zeegelaar and did not feel like he had been out of action for long.

It is difficult to see the 28-year-old being a part of Arteta's long-term plans at the club. The Gunners will hope that he puts in a good string of performances though. This will help his market value escalate so they can make a profit on him in the summer.