When Mikel Arteta first took charge of Arsenal in December 2019, his first priority in the transfer market was a relatively strange one. Above all else, the Spanish coach seemed to want a left-footed centre-back.
The preferred foot of the player was deemed as important by Arteta. He isn't too dissimilar to Pep Guardiola in that sense, who was his mentor of sorts for a number of years at Manchester City.
Pablo Mari was the man who filled the void at the time. The Spanish defender hasn't exactly caught fire since his move to the Emirates, but his signing captured how much value Arteta placed on footedness.
