New Arsenal manager Unai Emery has added more steel to his defence with the acquisition of Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund.
The Greece international heads to England after a seven-year spell in Germany, the last five of which were at Signal Iduna Park, where he featured regularly in the UEFA Champions League.
Sokratis has penned a “long-term” contract with the Gunners to become the third new arrival under Emery, who succeeded Arsene Wenger at the end of last season.
All three signings have been in defence, with right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner joining from Juventus, while goalkeeper Bernd Leno was brought in from Bayer Leverkusen.
The 30-year-old defender is reunited with former Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the Emirates Stadium, the duo having won the DFB-Pokal during their time together at BVB.
“I feel very good, it is my first day here, everything is special, it is a beautiful moment. I am very happy,” Sokratis told the club’s official website.
“Arsenal is one of the three biggest clubs in the Premier League, it has a lot of fans, a very big history and I am very happy and for the next year I will be here to help the team.”
© TEAMtalk Media
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