Oliveira impressing with solid scoring statistics

Nelson Oliveira, who joined AEK in the summer from Norwich City, has impressed in the Super League with eight goals in the first 16 rounds of the campaign. 

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During the first few weeks of the Super League season, Oliveira did receive a wave of criticism for his somewhat slow, laboured performances, but he has since picked up and is continuing to score plenty of goals. With 16 rounds of the league campaign in the books, the 28-year-old Portuguese forward boasts eight goals and two assists in the championship, trailing only Youssef El Arabi who has scored nine markers for Olympiacos. Karol Swiderski has also grabbed eight Super League goals.

If we look back at the two previous seasons, when AEK had Sergio Araujo and then Ezequiel Ponce on their books, Oliveira has performed just as well. In the 2017/2018 campaign, a season which saw AEK win their maiden championship in 24 years, hugely popular Argentine forward Araujo scored 11 goals, with five of them arriving during the 16 rounds.

A year later, Ponce starred in the AEK jersey, registering a grand total of 16 goals as the Enosis finished in third place of the Super League standings. Nine of his 16 markers were tallied in the first 16 matches of the championship.

Araujo’s, Ponce’s and Oliveira’s statistics after 16 rounds of the Super League in the 2017/2018, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons respectively (in accordance with figures provided by Transfermarkt):

Sergio Araujo: 12 appearances, 5 goals, 2 assists;

Ezequiel Ponce: 15 appearances, 9 goals, 2 assists; 

Nelson Oliveira: 13 appearances, 8 goals, 2 assists.

Oliveira has also scored the one hat trick in an emphatic 5:0 beating of Panionios in Nikos Kostenoglou’s final match at the AEK helm.

Massimo Carrera, Kostenoglou’s replacement as AEK manager, will certainly be hoping that Oliveira continues his prolific form, especially with vital regular season battles against PAOK and Olympiacos fast approaching. AEK languish in a distant third position, 12 points behind leaders PAOK. The Kitrinomavri also haven’t won a derby since early 2018.

Transfermarkt currently rates Oliveira’s value at 3.5 million euros. He is under contract at AEK until the completion of the 2020/2021 season. 

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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