Olympiacos invest in African market in France

Olympiacos’ recent transfer strategy includes a focus on the French lower divisions and players of African descent.

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The past few seasons have seen Olympiacos sign more and more players of African heritage. Many of the young African stars the club possess have been signed from smaller clubs in France. These players include the likes of Mady Camara, Pape Abou Cisse, Ousseynou Ba, and, most recently, Fonde Camara. The strategic decision to focus on young African talent was one initiated by current Nottingham Forest Technical Director Francois Modesto. The former Olympiacos player and scout spearheaded the move to look at lower-division French sides in an attempt to pick out some of the more promising players from the African continent.

That process began targeting French side Ajaccio. The club from the third tier in France, the Championnat National, has made a connection with academies such as SMASH Football Academy in Senegal. This has seen the continued transfer of young talent from Africa to France. Olympiacos have seen this as an opportunity, not only to sign promising players but also to continue its role as a development and reselling club, one where young stars can grow and improve en route to bigger clubs and leagues in Europe. 

While no players such as those mentioned above have been sold yet, they all have seen playing time and become integral parts of the club (except for Fonde Camara, who was loaned back to Ajaccio but is expected to join the club next season). The belief is that after this season, a successful one by all accounts for the club both domestically and in continental play, that the first sales to larger clubs may begin. Camara, Cisse, and Ba have all impressed, and each have been rumored to have sparked interest from European teams. 

Olympiacos are said to be further spreading their scouting net past just Ajaccio. There has been reported interest in players such as Mahmadou Gueye, a 21-year-old Senegalese winger from Pau, another French third division side.

Having had spells of courting players from the Balkans, South America, and even Scandinavia, it does appear now that Olympiacos are focusing on the French lower divisions and specifically players coming from Africa. It is a strategic move that promises to bear fruit in the years to come.

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