Arsenal weigh return for Mavropanos after West Ham's relegation cuts his price

Arsenal are weighing up a move to re-sign Dinos Mavropanos after the Greece international was relegated with West Ham on the final day of the Premier League season, with the London club now expected to sell players at reduced prices.

Mavropanos, 28, originally joined Arsenal from Greek club PAS Giannina for £1.8m in January 2018 as one of Arsène Wenger’s final signings. He made just seven first-team appearances in his first two years at the Emirates before loan spells at Nurnberg and Stuttgart, the latter eventually signing him permanently for up to £5m in the summer of 2023. West Ham then paid £21m to bring him to the Premier League a year later.

Despite West Ham’s relegation, Mavropanos enjoyed a strong individual campaign and was voted the club’s Player of the Year. He scored three goals during the run-in — including one against Manchester City that temporarily boosted Arsenal’s title hopes — as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ultimately fell short of survival. West Ham will play in the Championship next season for the first time since 2011-12.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has spoken warmly of the defender. “A player that was signed just before I arrived as well, and he had a long-term injury as well, and he didn’t get that many minutes,” Arteta said. “But it’s good to see him doing really well.”

Any deal would not be straightforward. Arsenal already have an abundance of right-footed centre-backs in William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, and Ben White, though White has been linked with a summer exit after falling down the pecking order. The Gunners would also need to fend off interest from clubs across Europe, where Mavropanos has attracted attention following his performances for West Ham.

Arsenal have already made two signings in the current summer transfer window. Whether Mavropanos becomes a third — and a returning face — will depend on how quickly West Ham move to reshape their squad ahead of life in the second tier.