Forgotten Arsenal signing finally exits after leaving EPL rivals furious

There were high hopes for Marquinhos when he arrived at Arsenal in 2022 but he has struggled to come good on his promise after a string of failed long spells in the last three years

Arsenal have announced the exit of forward Marquinhos, who has joined Brazilian side Cruzeiro on a permanent deal. His exit comes three years after he angered Wolves by joining the Gunners despite agreeing a transfer to Molineux.

Marquinhos arrived at the Gunners from Sao Paulo in 2022 and was seen as one of the brightest prospects in Brazil, but he has struggled to break into Mikel Arteta's first team. He has spent the last three seasons out on loan to Norwich, Nantes, Fluminense and Cruzeiro - with the latter signing him permanently.

Marquinhos only managed a total of six appearances during his time in north London, scoring just once - in a Europa League clash against Zurich, which came during his first season.

The 2022-23 season would prove to be his last campaign playing for Arsenal as he struggled during a failed loan for Norwich that same season that saw him score one goal in 11 games. The following season he played seven times for Nantes without scoring.

In a statement, Arsenal said: "Marquinhos has moved to Brazilian Serie A side Cruzeiro in a permanent transfer. Everyone at Arsenal would like to thank Marquinhos for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future."

Wolves might feel they dodged a bullet after appearing to have a move for the youngster in the bag in 2022.

The Premier League club considered legal action after Arsenal found a loophole in Marquinhos' contract that allowed them to snap him up for around £3million, even though they had already secured a pre-contract deal for the player.

The Molineux outfit had even lined up an immediate loan to Swiss side Grasshoppers for Marquinhos, whose Sao Paulo contract was set to expire on July 12 of that year. He was supposed to join Wolves on July 14.

After missing out on the transfer, Wolves approached a legal firm in Brazil to take action against Marquinhos for breaking the deal - and they also considered taking action against Arsenal and Sao Paulo.

However, it was reported that Arsenal were unaware of Wolves' agreement and signed him before the end of his contract in June. Wolves duly opted not to take legal action and the saga was brought to an end.

Marquinhos is the latest player to leave Arsenal, with Jorginho also heading to Brazil to join Flamengo, while Kieran Tierney has also left on a free transfer and Nuno Tavares has moved to Lazio.

With the forward now gone, boss Mikel Arteta will hope to replace him with a quality forward that can guarantee goals. The Gunners have held talks with Red Bull Leizpig's Benjamin Sesko, while Viktor Gyokeres has also been linked.