Charles Watts, the Arsenal correspondent for Goal, has been discussing all things transfer-related with regards to the club in a recent video posted to his YouTube channel.
One of the topics he discussed was the future of Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The centre-back signed for Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund back in 2018 in a deal reportedly worth £14.4m (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk). Since joining the club, he has made 69 appearances for the north London giants, contributing six goals and two assists.
The Greek defender, currently valued at £7.2m, has been linked with a move to Serie A recently, specifically to join up with Gennaro Gattuso at Napoli, where his compatriot Kostas Manolas also currently plays his football. Here is what Watts had to say on the Partenopei’s interest in the 32-year-old:
“Sokratis, we know about the interest [from] Napoli. I’ve been told that Sokratis is not absolutely pushing for a move. There are reports in Italy that it’s been a done deal and that he’s about to be signed as a Napoli player. Now, I don’t think that is the case. They certainly want him and he knows it, but he’s just had a kid, he’s very happy in London, he has one year left on his contract – a very lucrative contract at Arsenal, and he’s not in an absolute rush to get out of the door. For Sokratis, I don’t think it is a definite that he is going to go to Italy.”
Will you be glad to see the back of Sokratis?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
Sokratis didn’t appear in the Premier League after the restart, which could indicate he does not feature in Mikel Arteta’s plans. Taking that into account, we believe his departure from the club could occur sooner rather than later.
It appears the strongest interest comes from the Italian side, but based on Watts’ comments, it seems the defender may not be totally keen on that particular move, so it remains to be seen where his immediate future lies.