Sokratis Papastathopoulos signs for Arsenal

Arsenal completed their third signing of the summer, as they announced the Greek defender last night.

Premier League giants, Arsenal, have completed the signing of Greek international, Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund. The Gunners are reported to have paid a fee of around £17.6 million for the signature of the 30-year-old.

Reports circulating confirmed that the deal had long been finalized back in June, but the announcement was made after the player passed his medical in London on Friday.

Sokratis will be the third defensive signing for the Gunners this summer, who have already completed the signings of veteran full-back Stephan Lichsteiner, and shot-stopper Bernd Leno. It is confirmed that the former Borussia Dortmund man will wear the no.5 jersey at the Emirates.  

The 30-year-old made 43 appearances across all competitions last season for the Signal Iduna Park outfit, scoring thrice in the process. Sokratis spent the last five seasons at Dortmund, having moved to the club from Werder Bremen back in 2013. 

With 79 international caps under his belt for Greece, Sokratis will be an experienced addition to new manager Unai Emery’s squad. Emery, who replaced Arsene Wenger at Arsenal this summer, is looking to add experience to his Arsenal defense and Sokratis’ addition will surely help his plan.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are also being linked with players like Ever Banega and Lucas Torreira. Both have impressed the Arsenal manager with their performances in the World Cup, and with Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla both leaving the club, Emery is keen to bring reinforcements in the midfield.