Arsenal are growing desperate to offload defensive outcast Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who was reportedly offered to Liverpool.
As reported by Football.London, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal have offered Liverpool the opportunity to sign Sokratis. During his Here We Go podcast, the Italian journalist has suggested that the Gunners are keen on offloading the defender and have thus identified Anfield as one of his potential destinations.
However, Romano was quick to clarify that the Reds have no intention of signing Sokratis in this January transfer window. “He was offered to Liverpool too, you know that? Liverpool were looking for an opportunity and he was offered to Liverpool, but at the moment he’s not an option,” he told the Here We Go Podcast.
Jurgen Klopp is usually very affectionate with the former players he had managed throughout his coaching career, with Sokratis being one of them. But, his lack of desire in signing the Arsenal star is hardly surprising given the player’s rapid fall from grace over the past 12 months. In fact, the former Borussia Dortmund star was not even included in Mikel Arteta’s Premier League squad this summer.
The Reds are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements in this January transfer window, due to the injury crisis that sees Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all sidelined. Yet, they are not willing to take any risks with a player, who is yet to even feature in a single competition game this season. It could be a wise move indeed for the defending champions, who have recently rekindled their interest in Ben White.
As for Arsenal, it appears they could again find it difficult to find suitors for their fringe players including Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis. It was a problem for them in the summer, where the lack of departures crippled the club’s financial powers. And although both the defenders have been linked with a move to Genoa this January, it is unlikely any move will materialise.
Hence, Arsenal’s transfer activity in the ongoing January transfer window could once again hinge on the future of Mesut Ozil. The German has been linked with a move away from Emirates and there has been talks of terminating his contract. So a lot could transpire within the coming weeks as the Gunners try their best to undergo a squad overhaul this month.
