WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal FC looks on during the Papa John's Trophy Second Round match between AFC Wimbledon and Arsenal U21 at Plough Lane on December 08, 2020 in Wimbledon, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)
According to Hurriyet (h/t Mirror), Sokratis Papastathopoulos could be on his way out of Arsenal as there have been encouraging talks with Fenerbahce. They want to sign him for free when his contract expires at the end of the season. He can sign a pre-contract with any side in January and exit the club at the end of the season.
Sokratis, 32, came through the youth ranks of AEK Athens in Greece and played for several clubs in Italy before making a name for himself with Borussia Dortmund. In the five years with the Bundesliga side, he made nearly 200 appearances and earned a move to Arsenal in the summer of 2018.
However, his time in North London has not been successful. He has been at the receiving end for his inconsistency and has failed to live up to the expectations. However, his £92k-a-week contract is due to expire at the end of next season and thus, the Gunners should look to offload the Greece international.
One look at the Arsenal squad will tell you how overstocked in defence they are. Including Sokratis, there are 8 centre-backs in the squad. The likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba were added to the side this season. Others such as David Luiz, Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari are also there.
However, only a few of them are likely to be a part of the club in the long-term. Arteta has mostly used two of Gabriel, Holding, Luiz and Mari as his first-choice pairing. Thus, selling the Greece international would be a profit for the North Londoners.
He is already 32 and is reaching the twilight of his career. Keeping hold of him would just result in a waste of their resources. The former Dortmund man is far from his best and a move elsewhere would help him revive his career.
At the moment, the Gunners backline may not be at its best but they have several youngsters in the squad who are capable of becoming a strong force in the future. Thus, they should look to offload the old guns who have nothing left to offer and Sokratis is one of them.