Martins putting January plans in place for Olympiacos
This winter, Olympiacos aren’t expected to be overly busy on the transfer marker, but the management is reportedly hoping to offload Yassine Meriah.
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It’s been a mixed bag for Olympiacos to date. On one hand, Olympiacos will continue playing in Europe in early 2020 and have gained 38 points in the Super League, but on the other, they trail PAOK by two points in the league and missed a realistic chance to challenge Tottenham for qualification to the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Let’s see what transfer plans have been put in place for January:
POTENTIAL TARGETS
In comparison to previous transfer windows, Olympiacos aren’t expected to be particularly busy on the market, with head coach Pedro Martins largely happy with the squad at his disposal. Nevertheless, taking into account the poor form of Yassine Meriah, the Portuguese boss does want to sign a new centre-back. It’s also worth pointing out that Pape Abou Cisse, a gifted central defender, will soon return to competitive action.
Rumours are suggesting that the Olympiacos management is keen to sign a flexible forward capable of playing anywhere across the attacking line. Interestingly, ex-Olympiacos striker Ahmed Hassan has been linked with a return to Piraeus, with Martins still a big fan of the tall Egyptian forward. Hassan, 26, has long been on the sidelines at Braga with injury problems.
João Carvalho, currently on the books of Nottingham Forest in England, has also recently been linked with a possible transfer to Olympiacos.
It must be remembered that Evangelos Marinakis owns both Olympiacos and Nottingham.
Carvalho, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder, has competed in 18 matches in all tournaments during the current campaign for Nottingham, contributing with two goals and one assist. The Portuguese footballer progressed through the Benfica ranks before joining Nottingham in July 2018.
The English media have fuelled rumours that Carvalho will make the move to Piraeus. His value is rated at eight million by Transfermarkt.
POTENTIAL DEPARTURES
Yassine Meriah, who has received plenty of criticism for his shaky showings in an Olympiacos shirt, could leave the Erythrolefki this winter. As the season has progressed, the Ruben Semedo-Avraam Papadopoulos partnership has worked best for Olympiacos in the centre of defence, with Meriah notably committing a terrible mistake against Tottenham in the Champions League which, possibly, cost the Greeks a place in the Last 16 of the competition. Reports have stated that Al Ittihad are eager to sign Meriah in the transfer window.
Fellow North African, Yassine Benzia, was also to blame for Olympiacos’ failure to qualify for the next phase of the Champions League, receiving a red card against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia when the Piraeus club held the lead. Overall, the attacking midfielder hasn’t been able to make any kind of impact in Greece, and injury issues certainly haven’t helped his cause. Clubs from France and Serbia are in line to sign Benzia, with Olympiacos willing to let him go. Benzia is playing on loan at Olympiacos from Lille.
Leonardo Koutris, one of the best Olympiacos players in the 2018/2019 campaign, appears to be surplus to requirements with Konstantinos Tsimikas in fantastic form on the left side of defence. Koutris, not even included in the squad list for the Champions League, has only played in six games, and it’s a matter of time before he does leave Piraeus. Napoli and Fenerbahce have been showing particular interest in the 24-year-old.
Felipe Bruno and young Serbian prospect Svetozar Markovic, struggling for game time, could be sent out on loan.
In other news, Fjorin Durmishaj returned to Olympiacos after his loan at Waasland-Beveren was cut short, but he has now moved to Aris. Durmishaj, 23, had joined the Belgian club on loan from Olympiacos at the start of the campaign, however the former Panionios forward failed to settle as he only scored two goals in the domestic cup competition. He will hope to get his career back on track in Thessaloniki.
