Arsenal cancel contract of defender Sokratis as Mikel Arteta continues to streamline squad in January window

Arsenal have cancelled the contract of defender Sokratis as they continue the streamlining of their squad in this January transfer window.

A few days after reaching a similar agreement with Mesut Ozil, who is set to join Fenerbahce, the club announced that Sokratis now has the freedom to negotiate with other clubs.

Sokratis has not featured for Arsenal this season after he was left out of their squad, alongside Ozil, due to manager Mikel Arteta having too many players at his disposal.

His final appearance for the club was in last season’s FA Cup final, when he came on as a late substitute to help protect Arsenal’s lead as they won 2-1 against Chelsea.

“One of the most enjoyable times in my career ended today,” Sokratis said. “It has been an honour to wear the Arsenal shirt and I want to thank all the coaches, team-mates, staff and fans around the world for the love and respect they have given me.

“I gave everything for Arsenal and Arsenal also gave me a lot. I wish you all the best health and success always. Thank you.”

The 32 year-old’s contract was due to expire at the end of this season but his early departure allows Arteta to work with a smaller squad in the second half of the campaign.

“On behalf of Mikel, our coaches, players and everyone at the club, I would like to thank Papa for his contribution to the club,” said Edu.

“He has been an important part of our group and has been a model professional throughout. The negotiations to end his contract have been collaborative and we wish Papa and his family well for the future.”

Arsenal signed Sokratis from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2018, for a fee of around £18 million. His considerable salary of around £90,000 per week was also contributing to the club’s hefty wage bill.

The agreements with Sokratis and Ozil come after Arsenal took out a short-term £120m loan from the Bank of England. The loan is to help with cash flow issues and is repayable in May with an undisclosed amount of interest.

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