Sokratis Reveals the Two Players Who Were Crucial in Convincing Him to Join Arsenal

Sokratis Papastathopoulos has revealed that former Borussia Dortmund teammates Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang convinced him to join Arsenal.

The Greek defender joined the Gunners on a free transfer this summer after five years at the Westfalenstadion, where he played alongside Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang before they moved to the Premier League in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

Sokratis has started every Premier League game so far this season alongside Shkodran Mustafi and admits that playing every week was one of the incentives that lured him to the Emirates Stadium.

"I expected to start every game because I came here to be an important player for the team, and I'm very happy about this," said Sokratis, quoted by Sky Sports News.

"I spoke with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang [about joining Arsenal] and they convinced me that this is a club I have to choose. They gave me the feeling that I would be an important player here and that this club works to get better and better in the future.

"In the end it wasn't a hard decision to take."

Arsenal started the season with two defeats but have won four consecutive league matches since then to rise to 6th in the table, one point off the top four.

And Sokratis admits that finishing in the top four and getting back in the Champions League is Arsenal's top priority this season.

"To take one of the first four positions, this is our point," he said. "And also why not win one cup or to go to the final of the Europa League."

Arsenal host Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.