Sokratis Papastathopoulos has revealed how Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan ‘convinced’ him to join Arsenal in the summer.

The Greek defender signed a long-term contract with the Gunners in July and has featured in all six of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures so far this season.

Sokratis spoke to Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan before agreeing to make the switch to the Emirates and says they ‘convinced’ him that Arsenal was the right club for him.

‘I expected to start every game because I came here to be an important player for the team, and I’m very happy about this,’ Sokratis told Sky Sports.

‘I spoke with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang [about joining Arsenal] and they convinced me that this is a club I have to choose.

‘They gave me the feeling that I would be an important player here and that this club works to get better and better in the future.

‘In the end it wasn’t a hard decision to take.’

Sokratis also says Arsenal will need time to adapt to the ‘big change’ of Unai Emery replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates.

‘It will take time because yes, it’s a big difference,’ he said. ‘It was a big change for this team, especially with what this team did over the years. It will be difficult for the new manager and the new players to repeat."