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Fee agreed: Arsenal agree terms over 2nd summer signing, player to pen 3-year deal

By on June 9, 2018

According to the Telegraph, Arsenal have agreed terms with Borussia Dortmund over a £16m deal to sign Sokratis Papastathopoulos with the defender set to sign a three-year deal at the Emirates.

Arsenal’s defence conceded an embarrassing 51 Premier League goals last season so it’s clear that new coach Unai Emery needs to tighten things up at the back if we’re to get back in to the top four.

We’ve already signed right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Juventus but a centre-back is now the priority as Per Mertesacker has retired and Laurent Koscielny is out for six months through injury.

Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move for Sokratis in recent weeks and it seems we’re now on the verge of completing his signature as the Telegraph claim we’ve agreed terms with Dortmund over a £16m deal.

The newspaper says the defender – who turned 30 today – will sign a three-year contract at the Emirates but the deal may not be formally announced for a few weeks [no reason was given in the report].

Sven Mislintat is understood to have been leading the negotiations as he was the man who signed Sokratis at Dortmund and it looks like he is now set to be reunited in north London.

Sokratis is expected to become our second major signing of the summer and it’s another clear indication that Emery is looking to add experienced players to our back four set-up.

Lichtsteiner will be back-up for Hector Bellerin but Sokratis will be a regular starter next season and Emery must feel he needs to bring in some old-pros to sort out our shocking defence.

It’s a short-term plan but hopefully it will have the desired effect – although to be honest, we can’t defend any worse than we have for the past few years so anything will be an improvement.

MORE: Arsenal ready to meet £22m release clause

The Greek international will be a solid addition but we also need to think to the future and we’re reportedly also in talks to sign £35m-rated Turkey centre-back Caglar Soyuncu, so we could have a new partnership at the back next year.