Expectations high as Sa becomes number one in Piraeus
There are high hopes for Portuguese goalkeeper Jose Sa as he takes the reins as the Olympiacos number one.
The signing of Jose Sa earlier this summer was a significant piece of business for Olympiacos. After coming over from Porto last season on a loan deal at the behest of manager Pedro Martins, Sa was able to go from back-up to number one relatively quickly in Piraeus. Martins knew the goalkeeper’s ability having first managed the player when both men were at Maritimo. The Erythrolefki signed the Portuguese goalkeeper in a €2.5 million deal with Porto which will keep the 26-year-old at the Karaiskakis Stadium until 2023.
The hope is that Sa can emulate some of the success of his predecessors at Olympiacos. The club’s history is littered with fine goalkeepers including legends such as Panagiotis Kelesidis and Nikos Sarganis. In recent times there have also been the notable spells of Dimitris Eleftheropoulos, Antonis Nikopolidis, and Roberto.
The belief at the club is that Sa can follow in the footsteps of those fellow ‘keepers. In the last decade, only Roberto has been able to put a stranglehold on the position. Other goalkeepers such as Franco Costanzo, Roy Carroll, Balasz Megyeri, Michalis Sifakis, Andreas Gianniotis, Stefanos Kapino, Nicola Leali, and Silvio Proto amongst others have all had varying degrees of fortunes at the club. Some did well for a season or as short-term stand-ins, while others barely played and left the club sooner than expected.
Sa is the undisputed number one at the club for the time being. Olympiacos are still in the market for a back-up goalkeeper to accompany Sa and youngster Kostantinos Tzolakis. Whether Sa can live up to the big expectations remains to be seen. If Olympiacos are to return to domestic honors and have a shot at a positive run in Europe, surely the Portuguese keeper must turn in the same sort of composed and high-quality displays he was able to produce last season.
