Arsenal: Let’s be clear, Sokratis is a bargain

Arsenal have agreed a £17.6 million fee with Borussia Dortmund for centre-half Sokratis Papastathopoulos. While the player himself is a little inconsistent, the fee is an absolute bargain.

Arsenal’s deal for Borussia Dortmund centre-half Sokratis Papastathopoulos is nearing completion. The rumours first emerged in mid-May, with Sven Mislintat, the former Chief Scout at Westfalenhallen, returning to what he knows best to secure a key improvement at a position that has undermined the Gunners for many years.

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There has been much debate regarding the deal. Sokratis is not the dominating, all-conquering defender that some would paint him out to be. He is a good, solid, experienced player who has impressed domestically, in Europe, and internationally. But he does make mistakes, especially in this latest season in which a leaky Dortmund defence conceded 47 league goals.

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That has led some to question the wisdom of the move. Is Sokratis really the player that Arsenal should be building their defence around? Is he the player to provide that anchor at the base of the team that has been so painfully absent for many, many years at the Emirates.

Moreover, Sokratis is now 30 years of age, erring the wrong side of the dreaded 30-mark in early June. He is not the spring chicken that will be in his prime years for the next decade. It would be surprising if Sokratis was at his best for even three years. That is not a long time in football.

There are, therefore, reasons to doubt this move. It is not fair to simply say that because Sokratis is a centre-half he is a good signing. Just because he plays a position of need does not mean that he is a solution. There is more to it than that.

But there is one thing that cannot be questioned: For who he is, Sokratis is an absolute bargain.

Although the official fee has not yet been announced — probably never will be –, the Guardian, as of Thursday 28th June, is reporting that a £17.6 million fee has been agreed between the two clubs. That is very, very cheap indeed.

He has played more than 20 league games for Dortmund for five successive seasons, he has played in the Champions League, Europa League, in Serie A with AC Milan and Genoa, in a World Cup and European Championships, and has 79 international caps for Greece. There may be questions of quality, but in the exploded modern day market, to get a player with such a wealth of experience for less than £20 million is a very good deal indeed.

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It remains to be seen whether Sokratis can help Arsenal or not. The jury, I believe, is still out on that one somewhat. But the price, for now, is excellent, and that should be praised.