Pablo Mari hopes he can extend his loan deal with Arsenal permanently after the fans made him feel at home in the early stages of his move.

PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Pablo Mari of Arsenal celebrates after his teammate Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal (not pictured) scored their team's first goal during the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Portsmouth FC and Arsenal FC at Fratton Park on March 02, 2020 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND: Pablo Mari of Arsenal celebrates after his teammate Sokratis Papastathopoulos scores on March 02, 2020. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Speaking in a Reddit Ask Me Anything, Pablo Mari confirmed (again) that he wants to join Arsenal permanently. He explained his impressions of the club from the outside, and how his desire to be a part of it long-term only grew after joining on loan.

“I already knew it’s a big club because when you are young and you see the Premier League you always look at Arsenal like an unbelievable team,” Mari said. “But you only know how big Arsenal is when you come inside.

“I feel like I’ve improved a lot in myself and can improve with this club to be a better player. So I am feeling really well when I signed the loan with Arsenal and I hope I can extend this to permanent with them because I am ready to fight together with Arsenal.”

Mari then gave another hint as to why he might want to stay in response to another fan.

The supporter explained that he was in the crowd in Athens when the centre-back came over to the fans and tapped the badge. In response, the Spaniard explained his side of the story.

“That feeling I felt when I went to the corner and all of the supporters were starting to shout to me was like I had started really good in the club with those fans,” Mari replied.

“It gives me a lot of support to fight every day to give everything to this club and to the fans and I hope that we are going to enjoy a lot of wins together in the Emirates!”

Mari’s desire to stay is no secret

Pablo Mari (Photo via Arsenal on Twitter)
Pablo Mari (Photo via Arsenal on Twitter)

This is the third time Mari has publicly stated his intentions to sign on permanently. The first, speaking to Sky Sports, the defender said:

“I hope the club and I can go at the end (of the season) with good things to do the permanent transfer. We will see what happens because at the moment with the virus it is difficult.”

Then, in an interview with talkSPORT, the 26-year-old expressed the same sentiment again.

“Maybe when you find a club that is good for you, then you can stay and improve with that club. I have found myself here at Arsenal. It is a really good option for me.

“I want to stay here and improve as a player and a person. I want to be here for many more years.”

It’s now all down to Arsenal. They can evaluate Mari in training and review footage as much as possible and then make the decision without worrying he’d be unhappy sticking around.