Arsenal: Ian Wright hits on two unspoken advantages

Ian Wright has heralded the timing of Arsenal’s signing of Sokratis Papastathopoulos, as well as highlighting how important it is to already have friends at a new club. He has hit on two unspoken advantages of this current squad.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos is officially an Arsenal player. While that is not in any way a surprise and has been widely expected for the best part of a month, it is still nice to see it in writing. The transfer history of this club gives fans an extremely nervous disposition regarding potential incomings. We have seen them fall at the last hurdle too many times.

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But Sokratis is here, for a reported £16-18 million, to bolster a defence that is in great need of the warrior-like mentality that he will bring. Much has been said about his style of defending, whether he will actually improve the options already available to Unai Emery, and discussions about who will partner him at the heart of the defence.

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Some of the reservations that have been made about the signing are ones that I agree with. His propensity for individual error, his declining form last season, his lack of positional sense, which is especially scary considering the nature of the team that he will be playing in. They are valid concerns. However, there are two positive aspects of the transfer that I believe deserve highlighting.

This is what Ian Wright had to say about the move on Twitter. He hits on two important but unspoken points:

"“Another good piece of business by the club. Getting things done early in the window has been a challenge in the past. You can’t underestimate how much it helps to already have friends at a club.”"

Firstly, that the deal has been done early in the window. That is important and it should not be overlooked. As Emery begins his first preseason as Head Coach, he has two of his three new signings with him, Sokratis and Bernd Leno, with Stephan Lichtsteiner at the World Cup, and a deal for Lucas Torreira all but wrapped up also. Arsenal have been efficient in their work.

Secondly, Wright highlights the importance of having friends at a new club. He has spoken greatly of the presence of David Rocastle at Arsenal when he made his move from Crystal Palace in the 90s, praising the help that his childhood friend offered him during his settling-in period. And Sokratis has similar relationships with some of the players already at London Colney.

Both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan spent several seasons with him at Borussia Dortmund, enjoying substantial success together; Shkodran Mustafi, Leno and Granit Xhaka have all played against him in the Bundesliga and have probably spoken to him in the past and can help with adjusting from German to English football; Konstantinos Mavropanos is a Greek centre-half already at the club, an immediate point of similarity for a 79-cap Greek defender. Sokratis has friends at Arsenal.

Next: Arsenal: 3 players impacted by Sokratis signing

So while I have worries about his defensive ability, his impact on the pitch and his age, there are more nuanced pros to this signing that are easy to miss. But they shouldn’t be. They are important and they will have an impact on Sokratis’ time in north London. Hopefully, then, it is a positive one.