Former Arsenal star set to join La Liga club as free agent

Former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has reportedly agreed to join Real Betis as a free agent. 

According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 35-year-old is set to sign a contract that will keep him at the La Liga club until June 2024. He will undergo his medical tests on Thursday.   

The experienced centre-back has been without a club since his deal with Olympiacos expired in the summer. 

He was reportedly keen to join Bayern Munich and was hopeful about getting a call from them, per Sky Sports in Germany. 

But it looks the Bavarians didn’t contact the Greek footballer as he is now on the brink of joining Betis. 

Sokratis has previously played for Premier League giants Arsenal. He was brought in by then-manager Unai Emery in 2018 after being impressed with his performances for Borussia Dortmund. 

The 35-year-old was a regular starter under Emery as he made 40 appearances across all competitions in his debut season. 

But his game time suffered following the departure of Emery in November 2019. 

Sokratis made 69 senior appearances during his time at the Emirates Stadium, with six goals to his name. 

He joined Greek side Olympiacos in January 2021, helping the club to two Super League Greece titles. 

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Sokratis mainly plays in central defence but he has occasionally been used at left-back as well. 

His experience could be very helpful for Betis who have made a mixed start to the 2023-24 season. 

With three wins from 10 matches, Manuel Pellegrini’s side are sitting ninth in the La Liga standings.