Aris preparing for life back in the big time
Aris preparing for life back in the big time
Aris are back in the big time. Following a tough few years in the doldrums, the Thessaloniki outfit finally returned to the Super League and are ready for battle. AGONAsport investigates further.
In the not too distant past, Aris were beating the likes of Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Europa League, but a crippling financial crisis in 2014 sent the club all the way down to the Gamma Ethniki. The road back to the elite wasn’t easy, but after heartbreak in 2017, they eventually earned promotion from the Football League this year with a second placed finish in the table behind winners OFI Crete.
However, despite the 2017/2018 Football League success, head coach Dimitris Spanos departed Aris, sharply being replaced by 64-year old Spaniard Paco Herrera. Eager to make his mark on the club, Herrera immediately got stuck into the job, refreshing the squad with clever signings and shifting dead wood.
Looking at the list of players which have already left, the name of Vangelis Platellas stands out. Arriving from Atromitos Athens in September 2017, the talented 29-year old played a key role in Aris’ Football League success, contributing with nine goals and five assists in 27 championship matches. Nevertheless, he wasn’t included in Herrera’s plans for 2018/2019 and was allowed to join OFI on a free. Alongside Platellas, 10 other figures were sent packing from Aris: Markos Dounis, Aristeidis Lottas, Michalis Bastakos, Giannis Pasas, Christos Bourbos, Branislav Nikic, Stelios Marangos, Petros Kanakoudis, Angelos Chanti and Paschalis Kassos.
We’re only in late July, but Aris have already pulled off an impressive 13 signings in the summer transfer window. Let’s take a closer look at their new additions:
Thomas Nazlidis, 23/10/87, forward. Was a key member of AEL and arrived on a free transfer. Born in Thessaloniki and scored five goals in 28 Super League games in the 2017/2018 season;
Dimitris Konstantinidis, 02/06/94, right-back. Endured a barren 2017/2018 campaign on loan at Brescia from PAOK and is aiming to revive his career with Aris;
Nicolas Diguiny, 31/05/88, forward. The French forward left Atromitos after a decent spell in Peristeri and will be expected to be a leader in the attacking line;
Alex Menendez, 15/07/91, left-back. He does have La Liga matches under his belt with Sporting Gijon. Last season, he played at Reus in the Segunda Division;
Julian Cuesta, 28/04/91, goalkeeper. In Poland, the 27-year old shot stopper competed in 20 Ekstraklasa matches with Wisla Krakow. He signed a two-year contract;
Stergios Kapsalis, 23/11/94, centre-back. Became a free-agent in January when leaving financially stricken Veria. Used to play for Panserraikos;
Nicolas Colazo, 08/07/90, winger. Interestingly, he has been on Boca Juniors’ books for eight years, but this will be his fourth loan;
Mateo Garcia, 10/09/96, winger. Aris’ second Argentinian loanee also plays on the wings. The 21-year old is under contract at Las Palmas;
Fran Velez, 23/06/91, centre-back. Just like goalkeeper Cuesta, versatile Spanish defender Velez has penned a contract with Aris after a season with Wisla Krakow in Poland. He’s capable of playing as a right-back as well;
Migjen Basha, 05/01/87, defensive midfielder. Basha is a senior Albanian international, but he was born in Switzerland and played in Italy for 11 years;
Charalampos Stampoulidis, 22/06/96, defensive midfielder. Prior to taking the jump to Thessaloniki, he played with the reserves of hometown club Melbourne City;
Javier Matilla, 16/08/88, midfielder. This is Matilla’s first move abroad from his native Spain after he struggled to make an impression with Villarreal, Real Betis, Murcia, Elche and Gimnastic;
Hamza Younes, 16/04/86, forward. The Tunisian attacker was the second top scorer of the 2016/2017 Super League with a large 19 goals in 27 matches with Xanthi. Signed from Al Ahli.
Young, promising 20-year old Ivorian midfielder Yaya Meledje is due to sign for Aris from Bulgarian club Septemvri Sofia. After progressing through the Aspire Academy in the Ivory Coast, he moved to Bulgaria, where he played for Septemvri and Botev Plovdiv. His notable talent has been noticed by Aris and he’s regarded as a prospect for the future.
Guess who might be making a return to the Super League? Former Olympiacos star Alejandro Dominguez, fondly known as Chori among his fans, is heavily linked with a move to Aris and he posted a photograph on his Instagram account from Greece. Nowadays, Dominguez is 37 years old, but he still possesses that magic spark when in possession of the ball. The Argentine playmaker hit the target on two occasions in 19 Segunda Division games with Rayo Vallecano in the 2017/2018 campaign in Spain.
Possible Aris roster for the 2018/2019 season:
Goalkeepers
Julian Cuesta
Georgios Kantimiris
Alexandros Anagnostopoulos
Defenders
Hugo Sousa
Alex Menendez
Fran Velez
Georgios Delizisis
Giorgos Valerianos
Dimitris Konstantinidis
Manolis Tzanakakis
Stergos Kapaslis
Midfielders
Migjen Basha
Lefteris Intzoglou
Javier Matilla
Nicolas Colazo
Mateo Garcia
Charalampos Stampoulidis
Babis Pavlidis
Luka Milunovic
Alejandro Dominguez (possible transfer)
Yaya Meledje (possible transfer)
Forwards
Hamza Younes
Dimitris Diamantopoulos
Nicolas Diguiny
Thomas Nazlidis
by Shaun Nicolaides
Image Source: sportfm.gr
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