Greece defender Sokratis leaves Dortmund for Arsenal

sokratis-papastathopoulos-challenges-for-ball-in-europa-league

Salzburg's Valon Berisha, right, and Dortmund's Sokratis Papastathopoulos challenge for the ball during a Europa League match between FC Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund in the Arena in Salzburg, Austria, on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Kerstin Joensson/AP)

LONDON — Greece defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos joined English Premier League club Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund on Monday.

Arsenal did not disclose the fee but media reports put it at 17.6 million pounds ($23.2 million).

The 30-year-old centre back is the third new arrival since Unai Emery replaced Arsene Wenger as manager in May, joining full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner and goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

"Sokratis, who will wear the number five shirt, has vast experience on the international stage, making 79 appearances for Greece," Arsenal said.

The defender has also played for Genoa, AC Milan, Werder Bremen and AEK Athens.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.