Real Betis have been in the midst of a crisis in central defence. Luiz Felipe was sold to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad after the summer transfer window closed in Europe, and a few weeks later, Marc Bartra damaged his Achilles tendon, leading to a lengthy lay-off for the ex-Barcelona star.
That left head coach Manuel Pellegrini with just German Pezzella and Chadi Riad as natural centre-back options. As a result, Betis’ sporting department has been scouring the free agent market in an effort to bring another to the club, which they have now done.
Betis recently re-opened talks with former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, and the Andalusian club have now announced that the Greek international has joined until the end of this season.
📣 OFICIAL | El #RealBetis incorpora a Sokratis Papastathopoulos 🆕💚
¡Bienvenido, @SokratisPapa5! 👋😀
— Real Betis Balompié 🌴💚 (@RealBetis) October 26, 2023
Sokratis has been without a club since leaving Olympiacos in the summer, so it may take him a little while to get up to speed at Real Betis. However, he should still be an important option over the next few months, as Los Verdiblancos aim to have a successful season across La Liga and the Europa League.
