Paul Merson claims Arsenal defender Sokratis is expendable

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Paul Merson believes that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta can afford to lose defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos in the summer.

The Greek powerhouse moved to the Emirates Stadium from Borussia Dortmund in 2018 and he will be entering the final year of his Gunners contract next season.

He has recently lost his starting position as a main centre-back and there is competition for places in that part of the squad.

The 31-year-old has recently cast a potential doubt into his future, after comments his Arsenal deal.

“I don’t know,” Sokratis replied when asked if he would leave next year, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

“I have one more year here but me, I never sit on my contract. I don’t care. If I’m not happy, I don’t play enough or the coach doesn’t like me, I don’t care about the contract.”

According to the Daily Mail, Sokratis is one of four first-team players that could be allowed to exit Arsenal in the summer.

Pundit Merson has claimed that the centre-back is “expendable” and is open to the idea of offloading him at the end of the season.

“Arteta needs to get players out though, and I don’t think he’ll be too upset that Sokratis says he’ll go if he’s not playing enough,” Merson told the Daily Star.

“I like players who are honest like that to be fair to him. It’s better than being prepared to just sit around picking up your money.

“Arsenal need to get their wage bill down and get rid of players who don’t have a future there. So Sokratis is expendable.”

TBR’s View:

Sokratis is an experienced defender that is a useful option in the Arsenal squad and he can slot in as an emergency full-back as well as his usual centre-back role.

But the Gunners need to be more ambitious if they seriously want to start closing the gap to the Champions League positions and the backline is certainly the main area that needs a revamp in the summer by Arteta.

Reports suggest that Sokratis could be one player moved on in the summer and bringing in a young replacement would be a smart move.