Decisions concerning loanees set to be taken
As the summer approaches, decisions concerning loanees will soon have to be taken by Olympiacos, and there are lots of dilemmas. AGONAsport investigates.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com!
In the current campaign, Olympiacos have 14 players out on loan, while a further five are playing for the Erythrolefki as loanees from their respective parent clubs. With the off-season not far around the corner, let’s take a closer look at their individual futures with Olympiacos, however bear in mind this list does not include Senegalese defender Ousseynou Ba who will join the Greek club in the summer from Gazelec Ajaccio.
PLAYERS OUT ON LOAN
Bjorn Engels (Reims): In France, centre-back Engels has performed solidly with Reims, playing in 24 consecutive Ligue 1 matches in the starting line-up. Engels hasn’t even been substituted yet, and in defence, he has helped Reims rise to fifth position of the table. Reims do have the option to purchase Engels on a permanent basis in the summer, and they’re expected to keep the Belgian on their books.
Marios Vrousai (Willem II): Since he transferred to Willem II in the winter, Vrousai has started building up excellent momentum, standing out in the Eredivisie with his energetic displays and productive play. In just seven league matches, the promising 20-year-old winger has scored three goals and tallied one assist, as he attempts to repeat Konstantinos Tsimikas’ stint at the same club last season. Willem II do have a purchase option, but even though his loan with the Dutch club is scheduled to run for another year, reports in the media are suggesting Vrousai will return to Olympiacos for pre-season.
Dimitris Manos (PAS Giannina): In the 2017/2018 campaign, Manos scored a huge 27 goals in 26 Football League games to fire OFI to promotion, but he failed to earn the trust of Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins. In January, the 24-year-old forward made the loan move to PAS, where he made a decent start. Manos will probably be a part of Olympiacos’ pre-season preparations in the summer.
Dimitris Nikolaou (Empoli): Martins didn’t seem overly keen on giving Nikolaou a chance to prove himself on the pitch, and in the winter, the young central defender was given to Serie A club Empoli as a loanee. Unfortunately for the 20-year-old, he hasn’t been able to break into the Empoli team yet, as he keeps the bench warm instead. There is the likelihood that Olympiacos will send him out on another loan for the 2019/2020 season.
Matias Nahuel (Deportivo la Coruna): In September, Nahuel was a last-gasp transfer for Olympiacos, moving to the Piraeus organisation on the last day of the summer window. Sadly for the Argentinian winger, he didn’t make his mark in Greece, and after transferring to Deportivo on loan, he has only played in four La Liga 2 matches. Olympiacos are reportedly eager to sell him in the summer.
Giorgos Manthatis (Panionios): In truth, Manthatis hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with Panionios in Nea Smyrni, playing in 13 Super League matches without contributing with any goals or assists. Manthatis is rarely in the Panionios starting 11, and in the summer, it’s assumed the right winger will be assigned to another team on loan again. It has been a thoroughly disappointing season.
Giannis Masouras (Panionios): Following an excellent 2017/2018 season with AEL, right-back Masouras was snapped up by Olympiacos, but he was left on the sidelines by Martins and Panionios duly took him on loan in January. Masouras has played in two Super League games for Panionios and the media have indicated that the 22-year-old will be given another chance with Olympiacos in pre-season.
Stefanos Evaggelou (PAS Giannina): Evangelou left Panathinaikos in the summer of 2018 and made the move to arch-rivals Olympiacos. Taking into account his inexperience, the 20-year-old was predictably sent out on loan to PAS, and the deal is set to run for two years until the completion of the 2019/2020 season. The defender has barely featured for PAS and Olympiacos won’t recall him early.
Igor Silva (AEK Larnaca): The situation with Silva isn’t clear. In Piraeus, he never threatened to become a first team regular for Olympiacos, but he started all 12 UEFA Europa League matches with AEK Larnaca and has been a solid figure in the Cypriot First Division. Silva could be loaned out again for the 2019/2020 season.
Yaya Banana (Panionios): Asides from the odd mistake, Banana is a reliable player in the centre of the Panionios defence, clocking up a grand total of 1464 Super League minutes. In July 2018, Olympiacos reached an agreement with Panionios to sign the Cameroonian, while leaving him with the Nea Smyrni team on loan. Considering the high competition in Piraeus, Banana is expected to stay out as a loanee.
Dimitris Goutas (Lech Poznań): The 24-year-old defender’s chances of returning to Olympiacos are extremely slim. In the last few years, Goutas has been sent out on various loans to Xanthi, Kortrijk, Sint Truiden and now Lech, but he hasn’t settled anywhere. His Olympiacos contract is due to expire in June 2020.
Lazar Randjelovic (Radnicki Nis): The 21-year-old Serbian winger is a great prospect for the future. In the current season, Randjelovic has tallied five goals and six assists in the Serbian Super Liga with Radnicki, and the signs are firmly pointing towards an Olympiacos return. The pre-season will determine whether he stays with the Erythrolefkoi for next season.
Manolis Saliakis (AO Chania Kissamikos): Back in August 2017, Saliakis was handed to Football League outfit Kissamikos as a loanee, and he hasn’t been able to convince Olympiacos to give him another shot in Piraeus. The right-back will not return to Olympiacos this year.
PLAYERS ON LOAN AT OLYMPIACOS
Jose Sa (FC Porto): The 26-year-old Portuguese goalkeeper has been one of the signings of the season for Olympiacos. Ever since he replaced Andreas Gianniotis as the starting goalkeeper, Sa has barely put a foot wrong, catching the eye with his consistency. Olympiacos want to keep Sa, and the Greeks are doing all they can to ensure he stays in Piraeus on a permanent basis.
Yury Lodygin (Zenit Saint Petersburg): The Russian international was signed as back-up for Sa in January, and with mid-March already upon us, his only appearance to date was in the doomed Greek Cup quarter-final tie against Lamia. Lodygin’s Zenit contract expires in the summer, and if reports in the media are to be believed, Olympiacos want to sign a deal with the 28-year-old.
Roderick Miranda (Wolverhampton Wanderers): Miranda has shown himself to be a liability at the back. Prone to key, sloppy errors, the experienced 27-year-old Portuguese defender has looked nervy this season, and Olympiacos will not sign him from Wolverhampton.
Gil Dias (AS Monaco): Dias made a good start with Olympiacos after signing in the winter, but in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League tie against Dynamo Kyiv, he sustained an injury which has halted his progress. It’s tough to make a judgement based on what we’ve seen to date.
Ahmed Hassan (SC Braga): In the first half of the season, Hassan missed plenty of glorious chances in important matches for Olympiacos, and rumours suggested that the Greeks were contemplating sending him back to Braga in January. However, since the turn of the year, Hassan has been fantastic, netting nine goals across all competitions. The Egyptian’s release clause from Braga stands at four million, and if Hassan continues scoring on such a regular basis, Olympiacos may opt to activate it.
*All statistics above are updated through March 15, 2019.
