Arsenal are set to announce the signing of Sokratis Papastathopoulos in a £16 million deal from Borussia Dortmund with other moves to follow.
Arsenal are closing in on a deal for Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund, and the BBC reports the move will be completed in the coming days. The Greek defender will reportedly cost Arsenal around £16 million, and with this signing, the Gunners are set to begin their recruitment drive for the summer.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with Sokratis for a long time, specifically in recent months and are now closer than ever to complete a move for the experienced Dortmund centre-back. Dortmund have been open to selling their defender for some time now and are happy to do a deal with the Gunners for the skilled Greek.
Arsenal have set defensive reinforcements as their priority area in the current transfer market, and Sokratis’s arrival will only be the start of their recruitment drive. Other stars like Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu are also linked with a switch.
2017-18 was the worst ever season for Arsenal under the recently departed Arsene Wenger, with the North London side finishing sixth on the Premier League table. Defence, in particular, was in an abysmal shape, with the Gunners conceding 69 goals in all competitions, and that immediately led the board to sanction defensive reinforcements.
Under new manager, Unai Emery, Arsenal are set to have a continental approach to management, moving on from the traditional method, with, head of recruitment Sven Mislintat and Director of Football relations Raul Senhelli in tow, while CEO Ivan Gazidis will have a broader role in the setup.
The need for a centre-back was urgent for other reasons as well, with Laurent Koscielny out injured till November at the very least, and Per Mertesacker now retired, and due to head Arsenal’s Academy. As a result, Arsenal are poised to make defensive signings, with a view to bringing in experienced players.
Arsenal’s new approach will likely see them sign players that are already first-team players and ones who could integrate immediately. Sokratis is considered such a player as well as Juventus and Switzerland right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, who could join on a free transfer.
Without Koscielny and Mertesacker, Arsenal’s senior-most defender is Nacho Monreal, while Shkodran Mustafi could be moved on this summer. Apart from the German, Arsenal are left with the inexperienced trio of Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos as their other choice of centre-backs.
Dortmund also signed Sokratis on the recommendation of current Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat. Mislintat also felicitated the signings of Mavropanos, and former Dortmund pair of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January window.
At £16 million and the experience he carries, Sokratis should need little time to settle at Arsenal. On the other hand, he will likely prove to be a shrewd signing for Arsenal given his experience in playing in big European leagues as well as in the Champions League.
