High-priced recruit Esiti out of favour in first season at PAOK

PAOK’s defensive midfielder, Anderson Esiti, arrived in Thessaloniki with high expectations, however, he underperformed in his first season with PAOK.

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PAOK expressed interest in the Nigerian international since the summer of 2017, with the former sporting director, Lubos Michel, attempting to sign the midfielder. The Thessalonikis, however, failed to attract Esiti until last summer (2019).

PAOK completed the transfer of the 25-year-old, paying 3.5 million euros to Gent for the aggressive midfielder. Esiti was signed to bolster PAOK’s midfield following the departures of Jose Canas and Yevhen Shakhov, who left the club last season. Also, both Mauricio and Pontus Wernbloom were dealt with season-ending severe injuries last season, further leaving PAOK with limited midfield options. 

The signing of Esiti was a major coup for the club, with the Nigerian arriving with high expectations. Esiti was a standout performer when the Dikefalos tou Vorra travelled to the Netherlands to complete their pre-season. 

However, the Nigerian then struggled with consistency and found himself out of favour under new manager Abel Ferreira. He made a total of 19 appearances across all competitions this season and did not match the high expectations that were set when he arrived in Thessaloniki.

Esiti fell down the pecking order due to his inability to provide enough going forward. This has been a weakness in his game, as Esiti failed to score a goal or provide an assist across all competitions this season. With Mauricio finding his form following his injury and Jospic Misic proving to be in career-best form, there was little room for Esiti in PAOK’s line up.

Over the summer, the Nigerian international will look to improve this aspect of his game to win his place back as a regular starter for PAOK and to prove to the club and its fans that he was a successful signing.

Image Source: sportime.gr

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