Pablo Mari has already decided his next move once his loan spell with Udinese expires at the end of the season and his transfer wish can help parent club Arsenal save millions of pounds.
It may have gone under the radar that the current campaign actually started brightly for the Spaniard in terms of game time as Gabriel Magalhaes' rehabilitation period following a knee injury meant he started games against Brentford and Chelsea as the left-sided centre-back. However, that was as good as it got. Mari's last Premier League appearance prior to joining Udinese in January was the 2-0 home defeat against the Blues where he endured a tough afternoon dealing with Romelu Lukaku and his final Arsenal first-team appearance to date came in the comfortable 3-0 Carabao Cup third-round win over AFC Wimbledon in September.
As a result, it was no surprise to see the 28-year-old depart the Emirates Stadium at the beginning of the year in his search for regular first-team football - and having missed just two Serie A matches since arriving in Italy, it's safe to say this decision is working out for all parties involved. With that in mind, Mari has his heart set on a permanent deal with Udinese. "I would like to stay in Italy," he told Gazetta dello Sport. "I'm very well at Udinese and I'd be happy to take the club even higher in the standings. Of course, I still have a two-year contract with Arsenal."
