Greek strikers in promising form across Europe
Greek strikers Taxiarchis Fountas, Vangelis Pavlidis, Efthymis Koulouris and Dimitris Diamantakos have all made promising starts to the season in their respective leagues.
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Scoring is something which Greek footballers have never been particularly famed for as a whole. Nevertheless, the country does have striking talent, and Fountas, Pavlidis, Koulouris and Diamantakos have all started the 2019/2020 campaign in good form. Pavlidis has also shone for the senior national team in the European Championship qualifiers.
Let’s take a closer look at the players in question:
Taxiarchis Fountas (Rapid Vienna)
Appearances across all competitions: 12
League goals: 8
Cup goals: 1
If Fountas continues scoring with such regularity, he will soon be knocking on the door of the national team. 24 years of age, the striker has previously struggled for consistency in his career, representing a grand total of nine different clubs since he became a professional footballer. Fountas has switched teams every summer since he left AEK in 2013, but his recent form suggests Rapid Vienna are unlikely to willingly offload him after the current season ends.
Fountas immediately settled at Rapid after signing as a free agent in the off-season. Eight goals in 12 Austrian Bundesliga matches is certainly an impressive statistic, and he has hit the back of the net in three of the last four games. He also scored and dished out an assist in two Austrian Cup matches as Rapid suffered elimination in the second round.
One wonders just how long John van ‘t Schip will wait until he gives Fountas a chance to prove himself with the national team set-up. Transfermarkt rates his value at one million euros.
Vangelis Pavlidis (Willem II)
Appearances across all competitions: 10
League goals: 6
Cup goals: N/A
The rapid rise of Pavlidis is impossible to ignore. In January, Willem II loaned Pavlidis from VfL Bochum, subsequently taking the decision to sign him permanently in the summer after he impressed in the second half of the 2018/2019 campaign. Pavlidis has since continued his development this season, registering six goals in 10 Eredivisie games and scoring for the senior national team in the 2-1 victory against Bosnia in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. Pavlidis is turning into the striker which Greece have long been yearning for.
It will be interesting to see whether a bigger club signs Pavlidis after the season ends. His value is currently rated at 1,75 million.
Efthymis Koulouris (Toulouse)
Appearances across all competitions: 11
League goals: 4
Cup goals: N/A
His prolific 2018/2019 season on loan at Atromitos persuaded Toulouse to sign the striker on a permanent basis from PAOK. On the face of it, four goals in 11 matches isn’t exactly a fantastic statistic for a striker, but he deserves credit for quickly becoming a key member of this Toulouse team. Two of his goals were vital last-gasp equalisers too.
Koulouris boasts the potential to be the best Greek forward playing his football outside of the Super League. However, while he is showcasing his talent in France with Toulouse, he is still yet to play at his best with the national team. Koulouris has made 13 appearances for the Ethniki Omada without scoring once.
Dimitris Diamantakos (St. Pauli)
Appearances across all competitions: 9
League goals: 4
Cup goals: 1
Although he is playing in the second tier of German football, Diamantakos also deserves a mention with his excellent showings for St. Pauli. Competing in eight Bundesliga 2 games, the 26-year-old has scored four goals and tallied two assists, while bagging a marker in the first round of the German Cup as well. This is Diamantakos’ second full season at St. Pauli after moving from VfL Bochum in January 2018.
