It may be extremely good news for Arsenal fans very soon, as Arsene Wenger has reportedly been eyeing a move for Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papasthathopoulos in the summer transfer window. The former AC Milan man reportedly wants a move away from the Signal Iduna Park, as he looks to leave the Bundesliga outfit and a hoard of top European clubs are interested in his services.
The Gunners have been crying out for a top-class defender for a long time and will be glad to know that they are in for a chance with signing Sokratis at the end of this term.
Wenger does have a lot of defensive options in his side but none of them have really impressed or assured their boss of a place in their starting eleven.
The French boss signed in a decent left-back last summer in the form of Sead Kolasinac but the main problem seems to lie in the heart of the back-line.
Although Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny have been decent in the centre-back positions for Arsenal, the Gunner’s still are susceptible to conceding silly goals.
With the aging Per Mertesacker set to retire at the end of the season, backup options such as Callum Chambers and Rob Holding have been unable to impress and assert themselves in the Arsenal squad.
Even at right-back Hector Bellerin has looked shaky and has come under plenty of abuse by the Gunners faithful in the past few months.
Therefore Wenger is keen on bringing in a solid centre-back who can organize and command his defense in order to progress with the club.
The man that Wenger has identified to solve these defensive woes is none other than Greek defender Sokratis Papasthathopoulos.
The Dortmund central defender has been immense for the German outfit ever since arriving back in 2013 and has steadied the rearguard for Dortmund helping them to win two German Super Cups and one DFB Pokal as well.
The Greek defender has been enlisted as one of the best defender’s in the Bundesliga and along with Arsenal, there are other potential clubs like Juventus, Manchester United and Chelsea who are showing heavy interest in recruiting Sokratis.
At 29 years of age, Sokratis has a certain stand of experience in footballing terms and is a leader by nature on the pitch.
He is known for his aggressive approach and commanding behaviors which can boost any defense and tighten up leaking any silly goals.
Sokratis is also aerially powerful as his tall frame allows him to be a threat from set-pieces as well. He generally sets the tempo for the game with his tackling and feistiness.
Sokratis is also able to play as a defensive midfielder or anywhere in the back-line. His versatility would come as a massive advantage for the North London giants.
I think Sokratis is a great defender and is a guy whom Arsenal are in dire need of, he can allow Arsenal to attack more freely and with him in defense, he will stop a lot of goals from going in. A genuinely effective player.
