Sokratis Papastathopoulos has struggled to break into the Arsenal team since the Premier League restart.
The Greek defender hasn’t been able to impress Mikel Arteta enough to earn a sustained run in the Arsenal first team since the Spaniard became the club’s manager.
Recent reports claimed that he has been told he doesn’t have a future at the Emirates and that he can look for a new club now that the transfer window has reopened.
However, his agent has responded to those claims and called it “fake news”
He insisted that his client was committed to the Gunners and that he still has a contract with them that he intends to see out.
“He will stay,” Sokratis’ representative, Konstantinos Farras, told reporter Freddie Paxton via Star Sports. “I don’t see a reason to leave.
“I don’t know why everyone is writing wrong and fake news.”
Arsenal is set to overhaul their defence this summer as they look to build on the fine work that Arteta has already started.
32-year-old Sokratis doesn’t appear to have a place in the current Arsenal side and when William Saliba joins and Pablo Mari returns from injury, he will fall further down the pecking order.
Arsenal have for a long time appear to have more serious injuries than any other team Could they be caused by their pitch, fitness training methods, type of boots. It needs to be investigated why
Could it be the top players’ training regime applied to sub-par players? I haven’t seen Auba and Laca suffer consistent injuries.
For info, Sokratis been the most used CB without injury this season.
He is first choice with Luiz, these are fake news as his agent confirms.
Unless we do not watch same team, i saw him in it all season long….
Question is; what can we expect next year with Arteta central defense?
We have signed Mari & extended Luiz, Saliba joined but must adapt for a while….
Yeah, indeed William.; when i look at Chambers prior season on loan, he did not get injured but enough on the pitch to become season MVP.
We had Holding out most season, Chambers twice, Sokratis and Mustafi latest. Mari trained weeks to be fit, comes in for 10 minutes and injured since.
Today, only Holding & Luiz available.
Unless i missed it; Sokratis was indeed always kn this team.
I can get that a CB are more at risk but same for teams; seems to get worst every year and this half season even more so. We had all team fit few weeks ago…
Not covid, same for all teams but look at us…
We changed our medical and fitness team for well reputed staff but it doesnt change anything.
We are a team with one of best training facilities and pitch.
Arteta is best asssistant in EPL for years and a reason why he got job; his main task was to get team ready; good training.
That is not issue, same injury pb for a decade.
I think it has to do with spirit that directly affects our body and health.
It shows in performance on the pitch, body language, no happy faces, confused, lost like, upset, angry instead of hungry, not enjoying, playing as they told to, going along even if disagree, as out of position.
3 captains in a season, 3 coachs, wouldnt you be confused and fed up with no result from what coach puts in place?
Okay, we had two good gmes but city & Reds were on a bad day; kept winning while we lose against Villa, closing 2019/2020 as we saw all season a win that should be a lost. 2 poor performances to kill our chances to at least make it to EL.
There is no difference nor we have progressed under Arteta, we were 10th before last lucky win to put us 8th 2 points ahead of 10th spot which mounts to that, confirm our midtable official status.
We alreadh got lucky last year, Emery pulling a Wenger miracle, we could have finished, 7gh or 8th and were indeed short. He asked to reinfirce team with 3 players all ready to join and in fine form & spirit;Zaha, Maguire and Partey. We all supported and saw this as very accurate loiking at team; excited looking forward to win again!
He got Pepe & Luiz hypes, Ceballos instead of Partey, imposed by board to get rid of Ozil.
We lose our Captain who asked at least Maguire & Partey to stay, so hurt after that final; they told him they cant guarranty that but to divide his salary by two for 1 additional year.
We have Luiz who killef our chances of EL making a mess to be extended 2 years, obliging Arteta to bench then getting red carded for his behavior on pitch. Get extended by Arteta oto extend & guarranty our nightmare next year…
Anyone thinking Arteta is good enough to be Arsenal FC, is proven dead wrong, he got us ag midtable all by himself instead of CL or at least EL when he had both opportunities in 8 last games.
Arteta starts season as assistant coach and with no head coach experience becomes one for rest of season?
Not at all, he is appointed there but not a head coach, an assistant with zero head coach experience. He gains it at Arsenal as if our Academy players jumps straight to first team.
No they are introduced in team then in Cups; a process that makes a huge difference in the end; Lampard got his beloved club in CL…Did not took the job in a desperate way, he went and gain experience; ready to rumble!
Mogunna,
Your post is pretty busy so I cannot respond to it all. However,you have compared FL and Arteta which is fair to do. One plied his trade at Derby for a year, and the other was Pep’s right hand man for longer than that.
FL came to a club that was in a far better state than Arsenal. He certainly didn’t come to a club having to pull it up from a dire relegation worry. They had already qualified for the CL and won the EL. The nucleus at Chelsea was superior. I am prepared to stick my neck out and say that in the short time that Mikel has been at the helm he has fundamentally changed the attitude of his senior players and the club as a whole. Please tell me that you can see a positive in his appointment but there is no sense that you do feel this.
That apart, you have extolled the virtues of Arsene Wenger emphatically on this site and have been vocal against those who you feel have undervalued him. You should also perhaps consider that your frequently repeated posts which include your version of the the failure of Arteta as damaging too.
Pardon?
The Ozil effect, one after another is starting to run down their contracts. (Do not compare this to the Ramsey saga, Ramsey played and was wanted in every match till he got injured)When will this end? IMO, Socrates is a slightly better than Luiz, who holds the PL record of 5 penalties in a single season made worse with the leaning tower of Xhaka in front of him
LC
Regardless of Ozil, Sokratis is one who won’t get the wages he gets at Arsenal elsewhere. It’s a no brainer at his age. Another year on the payroll will see him very well set. I remember reading a while back though, that he didn’t want to be a bench warmer. Let’s see if he is happy at Arsenal or prepared to take the plunge elsewhere.
I seem to remember a certain RVP running his contract down to the point where our club were forced to let him leave for MU.
There was also the Ox and Sanchez who gave the club no option but to give in to their demands.
So this was happening long before Ozil, when will it end is quite an apt question for blaming one person for all our problems.
OT Great article about MA and his influence on Martinelli in the London news – and it is being reported that Sanchez is refusing to come back to MU – couldn’t happen to a nicer club/player.
Not Martinelli… Martinez!!!