Botia and Mirallas take their leave from Olympiacos
Plans are continuing to be put in place in Piraeus, as Olympiacos prepare for a large squad overhaul in the coming summer.
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BOTIA LEAVING PIRAEUS
As previously reported on AGONAsport, the former Greek champions are eager for a huge clear-out to take place, with owner Evangelos Marinakis furious after a thoroughly disappointing campaign in the Super League. Recently, it became known that Spanish defender Alberto Botia and Belgian forward Kevin Mirallas are leaving the Piraeus club. 29-year old Botia has committed a number of crucial mistakes in important matches this season, notably in the 1:2 derby loss to AEK Athens at the Karaiskakis Stadium, resulting in Olympiacos declining to renew his expiring contract.
MIRALLAS DISAPPOINTS
Belgian forward Mirallas joined Olympiacos on loan from Everton in the winter, but he’s endured a miserable second spell at the Thrylos, scoring only two goals in 12 Super League matches. Taking into account Everton’s asking price of 5.5 million euros and Mirallas’ poor performances, Olympiacos decided against signing the 30-year old on a permanent deal. According to Greek media sources, Mirallas passed through the Olympiacos offices on Friday, agreeing to cancel his loan and return to Everton one round before the completion of the 2017/2018 Super League season. However, Olympiacos are yet to confirm this development.
Alongside Botia and Mirallas, plenty of others are taking their leave from Piraeus. Bjorn Engels, Seba, Felipe Pardo, Uros Djurdjevic, Guillaume Gillet, Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Jagos Vukovic and Marko Marin are certain to depart Olympiacos, all deemed surplus to requirements. There are also issues surrounding Konstantinos Fortounis, Panagiotis Tachtsidis, Andre Martins, Silvio Proto, Ivica Ivusic and Igor Silva. The latter two only signed for Olympiacos in the winter, but both haven’t been given a chance with the Thrylos and are unlikely to be handed playing time by incoming boss Pedro Martins.
YOUNG GREEK CORE AND ROMAO STAYING
Nevertheless, not everyone on the current Olympiacos roster will be shifted out. New head coach Pedro Martins has been impressed by Leonardo Koutris, Pape Abou Cisse, Dimitris Nikolaou, Lefteris Choutesiotis, Thanasis Androutsos and Marios Vrousai, wanting to keep them in his squad for the 2018/2019 season. Reliable and loyal Tologlese midfielder Alaixys Romao is also staying with the Thrylos, signing a two-year contract through to 2020. Romao’s respectful attitude inside the dressing room has earned the respect of those at Olympiacos, persuading the club to offer him a new deal.
AEK DUO LINKED WITH UNLIKELY MOVE
With the majority of the current roster departing, Olympiacos certainly require new arrivals. Star midfielder Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, out of contract with AEK Athens, could possibly join Olympiacos in a surprising move. AEK goalkeeper Giannis Anestis, who is frozen out of the Kitrinomavri squad, has also been linked with Olympiacos.
NEW GOALKEEPERS
Including Anestis, Olympiacos are rumoured to be after four different goalkeepers. Antonis Stergiakis, the Slavia Sofia stopper, is about to sign a contract with Olympiacos for around 700,000 euros. Aris will also receive 10% of the transfer fee as the promising 19-year old came through the ranks at the Thessaloniki club. Atromitos’ solid goaltender Andreas Gianniotis will be re-signed by Olympiacos in accordance with an agreement between the two clubs.
The final goalkeeper which might be about to put pen to paper on a contract with Olympiacos is Greek international Orestis Karnezis. Favouring a return to Greece, Watford’s Karnezis has already entered talks with the Thrylos, giving the green light for a possible transfer. Despite playing with Watford in the 2017/2018 season, Karnezis’ rights are owned by Italian outfit Udinese.
MARTINS EAGER FOR PORTUGUESE SIGNING
Being Portuguese, Pedro Martins would love to bring in a player from his homeland. A possible option is Bruno Gaspar, a 25-year old right-back from Fiorentina. Participating in only 11 Serie A matches this season, Gaspar is searching for a way out of the Italian team, and Wolverhampton Wanderers and Olympiacos are the two clubs showing real interest in the defender.
