Ivic taking a youthful approach with AEK

Moving forward, AEK will put their focus on shaping the squad around young, gifted prospects, with the club having recently been linked with Fotis Ioannidis of Levadiakos.

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The Kitrinomavri already boast several youthful talents on their books. Towards the end of the regular season, Greek prospects Giannis-Fivos Botos, Theodosis Machairas, and Efthymis Christopoulos received fleeting opportunities with the senior team in the Super League and Greek Cup, as Massimo Carrera used the opportunity to witness their capabilities at the top level. Furthermore, Slovenian defender, Ziga Laci, 17, impressed while playing the full 90 minutes of the 1-1 draw against Panionios in Nea Smyrni on March 1. Also, 20-year-old Bosnian central midfielder, Anel Sabanadzovic, made six league appearances after catching Carrera’s eye in training. The fact that Sabanadzovic was going to be included in the Bosnian national team for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying playoffs says everything you need to know about his potential.

Technical director, Ilija Ivic, is beginning to firmly put the emphasis on youth as AEK approach the grand return to Nea Filadelfeia in the summer of 2021. 

Fotis Ioannidis, a gifted striker currently on the books of Levadiakos in the second division, has been heavily linked with AEK in the past week with Ivic eager to secure his services. A member of the under 21 Greek national side, the 20-year-old forward, has registered five goals for Levadiakos in the 2019/2020 Super League 2 and is attracting attention with his competent technical ability and strong development. Ioannidis scored twice last season for the Levadeia-based organisation in the top tier.

However, AEK face stiff competition for Ioannidis. If the latest reports are to be believed, both Olympiacos are PAOK are preparing bids for the striker, and Italian clubs Genoa, SPAL, and Spezia are also considering whether to make a swoop for him. Ioannidis made his debut for the Greece U21s as a substitute in a dramatic 1-0 triumph over Scotland on the road in UEFA European Championship qualifying.

Transfermarkt values Ioannidis at 300,000 euros.

There is also a goal of maintaining the Greek core. The likes of Vasilis Barkas, Konstantinos Galanopoulos, and Petros Mantalos - three key players for the Enosi - have regularly been the subject of interest from abroad in the past 12 months, but the AEK management is keen on keeping all of them in Athens. It will take offers closer to 10 million to persuade AEK to sell their leading lights. Mainz have recently been linked with a move for Galanopoulos.

At the same time, it’s important to remember that youngsters such as Panagiotis Gkinis, Christos Giousis, and Paris Mpampis are all currently on loan at different clubs and are scheduled to return to AEK for pre-season, although it’s unlikely that they will be a part of Carrera’s plans for the 2020/2021 campaign. Following a rough first half of the season, AEK improved greatly after Carrera replaced Nikos Kostenoglou, finishing in third spot of the Super League regular season and involved in the semi-finals of the Greek Cup.

Image Source: sportfm.gr

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