Sokratis Papastathopoulos Hints at Arsenal Exit: 'I Never Sit on My Contract'

Sokratis Papastathopoulos has warned that he could look for a move away from Arsenal if he is not happy with the amount of game time he gets at the club. 

The 31-year-old has a contract at the Emirates Stadium that extends to the end of next season, but he said after Arsenal's 2-0 FA Cup win against Portsmouth on Monday that will not prevent him looking elsewhere if needs be, per Mark Mann-Bryans of the Press Association (h/t MailOnline):

"I don't know [if I will leave next year]. I have one more year here but me, I never sit on my contract. I don't care. If I'm not happy, I don't play enough or the coach doesn't like me, I don't care about the contract.

"For me, the money is not important, it is important I feel good, I feel happy and the team is happy with me. If not, I take the road and I finish. I don't think about it, I think every day to be happy and help the team and in the end we will see but what I say is that I am not a player who sits on a contract—I don't need it."

Sokratis joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in July 2018 for just under £18 million.

Under manager Unai Emery last term, he played in 25 Premier League games, and 12 of Arsenal's 15 UEFA Europa League games as they finished runners-up.

So far in 2019-20, the Greece international has made 18 appearances in the English top flight, but he has not made it on to the pitch in any of the Gunners' last five Premier League games.

New manager Mikel Arteta has played him in just three of the nine Premier League games he has taken charge of since being confirmed as Emery's permanent successor at the Emirates Stadium.

Even when Arteta has called on Sokratis, he has often played him out of position at right-back, as he did against Pompey.

In that role, though, he made a key contribution at Fratton Park, opening the scoring with a fine finish deep in first-half stoppage time:

Eddie Nketiah then added Arsenal's second soon after the break to seal the Gunners their spot in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. 

Arteta's Arsenal are back in action on Saturday when they host relegation-battling West Ham United in the Premier League.

It is a must-win game for the Gunners, who still sit eight points off the top four with a game in hand.