Arsenal are ever so close to signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos after agreeing to a fee of £17.7m with Borussia Dortmund for the centre-back. The 30-year old has been a prime target for Unai Emery and it seems the new Gunners boss is set to get his man.
The Greece international is likely to be Arsenal’s third summer signing after the acquisition of Bernd Leno and Stephen Lichtsteiner. Sokratis is certain to add some steel to the Gunners’ back-line. With Laurent Koscielny set to be out for the first part of the 2018/19 campaign, Arsenal needed someone of Papastathopoulos’ calibre to marshall the back.
Here’s why Sokratis will massively improve Arsenal’s defence.
Firstly, Sokratis possesses all the abilities to adjust to the high intensity and the fast-paced nature of the Premier League. The 30-year old is a physically very strong and has the ability to shrug off centre-forwards with ease.
He is a good tackler and managed an average of 1.6 successful tackles per game in the Bundesliga last season. (He won 43 of the 77 tackles attempted). So, he is not afraid to dive into a tackle and disrupt the rhythm of the opposition. But the Greek’s X-factor is his passing accuracy. He had a passing accuracy of 87% in the Bundesliga last term – a stat even a midfield player would be proud of.
In addition, his propensity to be a threat from set-pieces cannot be counted out as well. Sokratis is versatile and can play in any centre-back position. He can also fill in at right-back when required.
Stats courtesy: Squawka.com
Read More: Why signing this South American World Cup star could be a game-changing move by Unai Emery
With Arsenal rebuilding under Emery, Sokratis would relish playing at the Emirates. He is the kind of aggressive centre-back the Gunners needed to put their “soft team” tag aside. The 30-year- old will surely add steel, competitiveness and defensive stoutness to the Arsenal team.
In a 4-3-3 formation, he can play in a high defensive line and can make recovery runs. Overall, he is a reliable player, who will bring calmness to Arsenal’s backline. Nerves will now be put less to test at the Emirates.
