Arsenal have made their first decision of the January transfer window, and it could have an important impact on their attack for the remainder of the season.
While they’ve been linked with moves for Ivan Toney, Borja Mayoral and Marc Cucurella in recent days, a lack of funds due to FFP considerations means Arsenal have adopted alternative methods in the market.
Indeed, Arsenal have taken the decision to recall Marquinhos from his loan spell at French side Nantes, with the winger’s game time in Ligue 1 not quite what Mikel Arteta would have envisioned.
Marquinhos has returned to Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)
Marquinhos managed just seven appearances overall for Nantes, with only one of those games as a starting player. In total, the Brazilian played just 149 minutes of football – though he did grab an assist in that time on the pitch.
Arsenal confirmed the news in a statement, highlighting that Marquinhos will now join up with the Brazil U23 squad for the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament held in Venezuela.
The top two teams will qualify for the 2024 Olympics men’s football tournament in France as the CONMEBOL representatives. With the final stage finishing on February 11, Marquinhos will then return to Arsenal to stay with the first team until the end of the season.
Saka could ultimately benefit from Marquinhos’ return (Image credit: Getty Images)
While not the signing – or decision in the transfer market – Gunners fans will have craved, Marquinhos could provide some much-needed cover to Bukayo Saka on the right-wing. Saka has started 26 out of a possible 30 matches for Arsenal this season, and has looked tired in recent weeks as the amount of minutes he has been playing catch up with him.
Marquinhos, therefore, could provide a temporary solution for Mikel Arteta to rest his prized asset in certain fixtures, ensuring Saka is firing on all cylinders during the most important games in both the Premier League and Champions League.
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