Arsenal Has Officially Announced The Loan Of Marquinhos To Fluminense.
Arsenal has confirmed that Marquinhos, a 20-year-old winger, has returned to Brazil on loan with Fluminense.
The former Sao Paulo prodigy will spend the next 11 months in his homeland until January 2025, returning to South America after an unsuccessful stint with Ligue 1 side Nantes.
Fluminense has also announced that they have the option to make Marquinhos’ move permanent once his loan spell concludes. The winger expressed his pride in representing the four-time Brasileiro champions.
“I am really happy. It’s a great opportunity in my career to represent Fluminense’s team. I’m very pleased, and I hope we create a beautiful story, filled with titles and many victories,” Marquinhos said on the club’s website.
“Fluminense is a club with lofty ambitions, and that’s what drew me here. The goal for the season is to win as many titles as possible. Winning the Libertadores for the second time would be fantastic.”
Marquinhos made his breakthrough into the Sao Paulo first team as a teenager before joining Arsenal in the summer of 2022. The Gunners secured his signature for just £3 million, beating competition from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
MARQUINHOS É DO FLUMINENSE! Atacante chega ao Tricolor por empréstimo junto ao Arsenal até o fim da temporada!
Seja bem-vindo ao Campeão da América! ⚡️🇭🇺
Saiba mais >> https://t.co/DDumwyOR4u pic.twitter.com/mmRbiLuXQl
— Fluminense F.C. (@FluminenseFC) February 15, 2024
The 20-year-old quickly impressed with the Gunners’ academy, persuading Mikel Arteta and the team that he was prepared for first-team football despite initial plans for a loan spell.
Marquinhos marked his debut for the club with a goal and an assist in a 2-1 Europa League victory over FC Zurich in September 2022, also making his Premier League debut off the bench against Brentford in the same month.
During the first half of the 2022-23 season, the Brazilian featured six times for Arsenal but struggled to maintain the momentum from his impressive debut. Consequently, he spent the second half of the season on loan with Norwich City.
While with Norwich in the Championship, Marquinhos managed only one goal and one assist in 11 appearances. Instead of being reintegrated into Arsenal’s squad, he was loaned out to Ligue 1 side Nantes last summer.
However, his time in France was underwhelming, with the South American receiving just 149 minutes of playing time across seven Ligue 1 matches, during which he provided one assist and made only one start.
Additionally, Marquinhos expressed his desire to represent Brazil’s Under-23 team at the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic tournament, where he featured in six matches from January 23 to February 11. Consequently, Nantes and Arsenal mutually agreed to terminate his loan before his move to Fluminense.
