Transfer news: Arsenal sign Sokratis – good or bad move?

One of Unai Emery’s main tasks as Arsenal manager is to shore up their subpar backline.

When Unai Emery was hired by Arsenal to replace the legendary Arsene Wenger, one of his key tasks was to repair Arsenal’s defensive line, which has proven to be the weakest part of their team over the past couple Premier League seasons. Now, not only do the Gunners have a hole at centre-back, but they also have a major hole in their leadership positions.

Captain Per Mertesacker retired this summer, and vice-captain Laurent Koscielny will be nursing an Achilles injury well into the 2018-19 season. This meant that Arsenal essentially had to scour the market for experienced centre-backs, and they certainly believe they have found their man in Sokratis Papastathopolous. The Greek centre-back will reportedly join the club on July 1st, following the end of Dortmund’s financial year.

He isn’t a world-class player, and he has struggled in recent seasons, but Sokratis can still bring something more to this Arsenal squad, especially for a measly fee of a rumored £16 million.

Sokratis’ experience through this past decade could certainly aid Arsenal’s new project.

As mentioned earlier, Koscielny and Mertesacker will not be able to continue their leadership on the pitch for the Gunners, so it’s a big coup to grab an experienced player in Sokratis to help the squad. Arsenal have been infamous for lacking spine in recent seasons and this move is certainly a step towards repairing that.

Although his career hasn’t been lucrative with trophies and awards, Sokratis has played 20+ league matches in top division football for a decade straight now. He has been reliable and solid everywhere he’s played.

He is 30 now and certainly won’t be a mainstay in the Gunners defence for years to come, but Sokratis will be expected to play a solid role in the next season or two as Unai Emery aims to rebuild Arsenal.

His experience may also prove to be invaluable for his countryman Konstantinos Mavropanos, who made a breakthrough into Arsenal’s first team towards the end of the 2017-18 season. Having an experienced centre-back from his native country next to him in training every day could prove to be crucial.

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Since Sokratis’ transfer fee isn’t high, this isn’t a high-risk move for Arsenal.

It’s true that Arsenal is quite strapped for cash at the moment. The club-record deal that went down to acquire the superb Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang just six months ago clearly took out a good chunk of the budget.

So for Arsenal to fix their defence with a limited budget, they had to go out and look for low-risk bargains that would improve their team, and they have found exactly that with Sokratis Papastathopoulous. The Gunners will be adding an experienced defender for a low-fee, to help fill a massive leadership hole in the squad.