Arsenal: Missing Fabinho questions Sokratis move logic

While Arsenal have been busy tieing up a deal for Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Liverpool have signed Fabinho in a £40 million deal. Missing out on the Monaco defensive midfielder questions the logic of the Sokratis move.

This summer, Arsenal, among other things, needed both a central defender and central midfielder. But with restricted financial capabilities, there was a sense of trepidation that they would be able to address both positions successfully, fully aware of the exploding market that is catapulting players’ values into new, atmospheric heights.

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It made some sense, then, to compromise on some of their recruitment, simply to find a plaster-solution at some positions before then investing in a longer-term option at a later date when more money comes available.

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And it seems as though Arsenal were aware of their limitations in this summer window. To address the centre-half position, they searched out a 29-year-old who has just one year remaining on his contract and is coming off one of his worst seasons. His value is at its lowest. So it has proven. The Gunners are set so sign Sokratis Papastathopoulos for as little as £16 million. In any market, that is an excellent deal. In today’s, it’s wonderful.

Sokratis is not the perfect prospect. There are better players who are likely available this summer, though a higher price would have to be paid. But the logic in his signing was that he would provide at least a partial solution to a position of great need without soaking up all of the resources for other positions, like defensive midfield.

The problem, though, is that logic may not be being executed. Liverpool, on Monday night, officially announced the £40 million signing of Monaco defensive midfielder Fabinho, a player who I, and many others, had highlighted as one of the ideal targets to solve Arsenal’s midfield issues.

The reason for pursuing a lesser but cheaper player like Sokratis is that it allows the club to then go ahead and sign a more accomplished but pricier option like Fabinho, thereby filling two positions of need without overstretching the budget. But that is now not possible with Fabinho on his way to Merseyside.

Now, it is not fair to judge the Sokratis signing until the summer window has closed. Only then can we make judgements about how it facilitated Arsenal’s ability to do business at other positions. It could be that by the end of the summer, the club has been able to recruit several different options as well as Sokratis. But the early signs certainly question the logic of the signing.

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It is a shame to have missed out on Fabinho. I certainly would rather have seen him at the Emirates than Sokratis, even for their respective prices. And his going to Liverpool does pose a question for Sven Mislintat et al.: Will they spend the money the Sokratis money frees up wisely? That is the key to a successful window this summer.