Ray Parlour likens new Arsenal signing to Tony Adams
The Arsenal legend believes Sokratis Papastathopoulos is similar to former Gunners captain Tony Adams
Ray Parlour believes new Arsenal signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos is cut from the same mould as Gunners legend Tony Adams.
The north London side are under new management after Unai Emery replaced Arsene Wenger at the end of the 2017-18 Premier League season.
The Gunners conceded 54 times in 38 games in the Premier League last season to raise questions about their defence under Wenger.
Arsenal signed Sorkatis in a big-money deal from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund to improve their options at the back.
Sokratis will challenge Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Calum Chambers for a starting spot under the Spanish head coach.
Former Arsenal star Parlour believes Sokratis is similar to the club’s title-winning captain Adams.
“Arsenal badly needed to improve their defence following last season and Emery has clearly made that a priority this summer,” Parlour told bWIN.
“I think Sokratis is a good signing and he will be a no-nonsense, traditional defender in the mould of Tony Adams rather than someone who wants to play out from the back.
“Sokratis is very experienced and he’s a big game player with great leadership qualities.
“The fact he knows [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan so well is a bonus too.”
Arsenal finished in sixth place in the Premier League table last season to miss out on a spot in the Champions League.
The Gunners have signed five players in the summer transfer window to bolster Emery’s options under Wenger.
The north London side lost 3-0 to Premier League champions Manchester City in the League Cup final last term.
