KEY POINTS

  • Sokratis future at Arsenal not looking good
  • The Greek player has hardly seen action since Mikel Arteta took over
  • Sokratis open to moving out and join club that may need him

Arsenal F.C. is frantically looking to beef up its roster and the Gunners have been linked to several players. Aside from that, there are current players reportedly on the way out such as Sokratis Papastathopoulos. However, his agent claims that all of these are fake news and that the 32-year-old player has no reason to leave Emirates Stadium.

Konstantinos Farras said in an interview that he is befuddled with news coming out about the future of Sokratis. He sees no reason for the Greek player to leave and is left wondering why such news is coming out.

"He [Sokratis] will stay. I don’t see a reason to leave. I don’t know why everyone is writing wrong and fake news," Farras said to journalist Fred Paxton.

But if one considers the rate at which Sokratis is being used, speculations on whether he would leave the Gunners make a bit of sense. The 32-year-old has struggled to get along with the system of Mikel Arteta, featured only once since the Spanish coach took over in December. He has hardly seen action in the club's final eight games. Further, Sokratis has reportedly been deemed as surplus for Arteta, Goal.com reported.

Sokratis ended up at Emirates Stadium in 2018 following a $23 million deal between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. He made big strides under Unai Emery, a regular fixture at that time. Unfortunately, he continues to struggle and such could be telling on his future.

Though his agent is shooting down any potential moves out of Arsenal, Sokratis is fine with the idea of possibly moving out if he is no longer needed. For the 32-year-old player, it is not all about the money but more on the feeling of being needed by a club.

"For me, the money is not important, it is important I feel good, I feel happy and the team is happy with me. If not, I take the road and I finish," Sokratis said.

With word coming out that Sokratis is not a fit in his plans, the Greek player just intends to play out his current deal at Emirates Stadium. For now, all he can hope for is Arteta to give him another chance - especially with the club plagued by injuries and manpower shortage.

Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos scored the second goal against Manchester United
Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos scored the second goal against Manchester United IKIMAGES / Ian KINGTON