Contract renewal talks ongoing at Panathinaikos

Contract renewals talks are ongoing at Panathinaikos, with the cases of Christos Donis and Giorgos Vagiannidis taking centre stage.

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Talks of contract renewals are ongoing at Panathinaikos, with the cases of the experienced Christos Donis and rookie teenage talent Giorgos Vagiannidis taking centre stage. The Trifylli will be hoping these players follow fellow teammates in Sokratis Dioudis, Dimitris Kourbelis, Tasos Chatzigiovanis, and Giannis Bouzoukis in committing their respective futures to the club.

Christos Donis

The midfielder has enjoyed his best season to date and is coming into his own at Panathinaikos. He has been widely criticised over the years for a perceived lack of quality but has made up for it with sheer heart and determination. He has often been preferred ahead of Anuar Tuhami in a central midfield role to partner Kourbelis.

The Greens made a contract offer (an improved one with a raise in salary) to the player earlier this week, however, it is unknown what his answer will be, especially given the off-field situation regarding his father, Giorgos Donis. Recent reports have suggested the 25-year-old is considering a move overseas.

It is worth keeping an eye on the outcome of this situation as it could also dictate what happens with Giorgos remaining as head coach, but Christos has asked for time to make a decision.

Giorgos Vagiannidis

On the front of Giorgos Vagiannidis, the news appears to be better for Panathinaikos. Following a recent meeting between Giannis Alafouzos and the family of the 18-year-old, it seems he is closer than ever to agreeing to terms with the club.

The talk centred around whether or not Vagiannidis would have an active role in the first team on a week-to-week basis, rather than solely about money. Alafouzos made it clear to Vagiannidis’ mother that Panathinaikos rate him highly and wants to further establish his career.

A decision is not expected to be made imminently, but after this meeting, the chances of keeping the highly-rated right-back are higher than ever, as the family was happy with what they heard. He will likely reject offers from Monaco and PAOK.

Others

Other than the aforementioned cases of Donis and Vagiannidis, Panathinaikos want to give new and improved contracts to Emanuel Insua, Mattias Johansson, and Kostas Apostolakis.

The Argentine left-back, Insua, wants to cash in on his strong and consistent performances over the last two seasons. The club wants to keep him and have fended off strong offers from Spain and the Middle East in the past, with Al Wahda showing a keen interest in January. However, they will not go over the top to keep him, so to disrupt the team’s balance.

Swedish right-back Johansson has emerged as a key player down the right flank over the last two seasons. Talks appear to have stalled as the player’s management is not happy with the offer.

 As for Apostolakis, there appears to be a small difference between what he wants and what the club is currently offering. However, it is thought an agreement will be reached, and he will continue to develop his career at Panathinaikos.

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