He was sold by Mikel Arteta, now he could haunt Arsenal again in the Premier League title race

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Arsenal will take on a few familiar faces when they make the short trip across London to face West Ham in Premier League action.

The Gunners are starting to find some form again after back-to-back wins, but it’s a succession of victories in the league they need to make some progress.

Nine points currently separate them from top-of-the-table Liverpool, but with the Reds set to take on Manchester City, there’s a real opportunity for Mikel Arteta to make some ground.

While West Ham haven’t started all that well under Julen Lopetegui, plenty of their individual players could cause some damage to Arsenal.

Jarrod Bowen warned the Gunners of such after the Hammers managed to beat Newcastle at St. James’ Park last time out.

While there is plenty of threat in the team, there is one former star who could haunt Arsenal in their hopes of winning the Premier League.

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Konstantinos Mavropanos could cost Arsenal against West Ham

One former star who could be set to face off with Arsenal is defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who had a spell at the club from 2018 onwards.

The Gunners paid a fee in the region of £2million for the Greek centre-back, viewing him as an option for the future.

Loan deals at Nuremberg and Stuttgart followed until he left the club in 2022, eventually sold by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

In total, he made just eight appearances at the Emirates Stadium before leaving for Germany, where he started to show more of his ability.

“Arsenal was the first milestone in my career,” Mavropanos said upon leaving the club.

“I learned a lot, I improved as a player and as a person. I made friends and experienced great support. Thanks to everyone at the club and I wish the team success always.”

Just one year after his permanent exit from north London, he returned to the capital with West Ham as a signing in August 2023.

He has been a regular for the side so far and could cost Arsenal dearly, something he has already done for the Hammers.

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Mavropanos has already cost Arsenal a Premier League title

While Mavropanos will be looking to wreak havoc against Arsenal, he has already cost the side in the title race before.

Last season, he managed to haunt Arsenal by scoring in a 2-0 win for West Ham at The Emirates Stadium.

In the end, two points cost Arteta in the Premier League title race, something that could’ve been overturned in that defeat to the Hammers.

In his club career, the 26-year-old has only managed to score 12 goals from defence, so it’s typical that one would cost his former side.

There will be some hope that Mavropanos cannot add to that tally any time soon while ensuring he can’t land another clean sheet to his career stats either.