Mantalos stepping up to the plate for rejuvenated AEK
In the Super League regular season, Petros Mantalos stepped up to the plate for AEK, dishing out a grand total of nine assists to help the Athens-based club get back on track.
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It was certainly a shaky start to the campaign for AEK. However, after suffering a heartbreaking elimination from the UEFA Europa League and dropping out of the Super League title race as early as September, the Enosi have since made a huge improvement with Massimo Carrera at the helm. When the playoffs do eventually begin, AEK have a golden opportunity to even qualify for the UEFA Champions League, only trailing second-placed PAOK by one point with 10 games still to play.
One man has been a consistent figure for AEK throughout the entire season.
Mantalos, 28, is proving why he is one of the best attacking midfielders which Greece possesses. So far, if we take all competitions into account, Mantalos has tallied 11 goals and 10 assists; a personal best. Playing in a central position behind either Nelson Oliveira or Sergio Araujo, with Marko Livaja and Daniele Verde often on the two flanks, Mantalos has been extremely effective while displaying superb mutual understanding. A versatile player, Mantalos can also play on the left wing to good effect.
In August, AEK disappointed with tepid performances against Universitatea Craiova and Trabzonspor, however Mantalos did manage to score three times in those four ultimately unsuccessful qualifiers.
Before this season started, it seemed that two anterior cruciate ligament injuries had taken their toll on Mantalos, but the Greek international has responded in defiant fashion. Not many players born in Greece have an ability to compete with such flair, creativity and technical skills. Recently, Mantalos helped AEK take a step towards a fifth consecutive Greek Cup final, opening the scoring in the first leg of the semi-final tie against Aris with a neat finish. Mantalos constantly troubled the Aris defence in a match which AEK should have won far more comfortably.
The upcoming summer transfer window promises to be an interesting one. According to reports, Turkish clubs have started show an interest in Mantalos, with Transfermarkt now valuing the midfielder at 3.5 million euros. His contract with AEK is due to run until the completion of the 2021/2022 campaign; most probably the Kitrinomavri’s first at the Agia Sofia Stadium in Nea Filadelfeia.
Let’s take a look at his statistics from previous seasons:
2015/2016: 6 goals, 9 assists
2016/2017: 7 goals, 10 assists
2017/2018: 4 goals, 2 assists
2018/2019: 9 goals, 10 assists
2019/2020: 11 goals, 10 assists*
*Campaign yet to finish
