Panathinaikos youngsters chance to shine

Several Panathinaikos young guns will have a chance to shine in the near future as the COVID-19 pandemic hampers the club’s budget.

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Everything in the world today has either gone on-hold or even gone backward, and it is no different in the case of Greek football, even more so in the case of Panathinaikos. The timing could not have been any worse for the Greens. After years of financial misery, it appeared the club was finally set for bright times ahead, however, the Coronavirus pandemic has put an end to that idea.

However, where there are negatives, there are also positives. For the last six weeks, Panathinaikos players, just like the players of other clubs, have been training at home or nearby parks to keep fit. Among them, young players who have been given their first opportunities in men’s football this season.

Instead of next season’s budget increasing, it will either decrease or most likely stay the same. This will present these youngsters with an even greater opportunity to shine.

Panathinaikos have given many talented youngsters a chance ever since the 2017-18 season when Giannis Alafouzos announced that he would stop investing in the club. Marinos Ouzounidis had to work with whatever was at his disposal as the club’s best players were sold on the cheap. Giorgos Donis put a plan forward in a bid to nurture the club’s best Academy talents since the summer of 2018. This made the club more self-sustainable in the long-term as they did have to sign players on high wages; instead, they can sell the young guns for relatively high fees.

In recent years, Panathinaikos have given opportunities to many under 23 players such as Tasos Chatzigiovanis, Giannis Bouzoukis, Fanis Mavromatis, Achilleas Poungouras, Nikos Vergos, Ilias Chatzitheodoridis, Argiris Kampetsis, Kostas Apostolakis, and Konstantinos Kostaris.

However, the club boasts an array of talented young guns across all positions, and this is evident in the U19 team’s performances. Now it is time for the next wave of youngsters to receive their opportunities and make their mark.

Several of these players have already featured this season, but the next generation features Giorgos Vagiannidis, Vasilis Zagaritis, Andreas Athanasakopoulos, Dimitris Serpezis, and Christo Sechou (who is currently out on loan at Bologna). It does not stop there as the likes of Kotsaris, Nikos Christogiorgos, and Vasilis Xenopoulos are still learning the game as they patiently wait for an opportunity behind first-choice goalkeeper Sokratis Dioudis (who recently signed a new deal).

Should these players remain fit and motivated, they will receive a genuine chance to impress Donis and cement their spots in the first-team squad. Sechou is highly rated, but the club will undoubtedly be looking at Vagiannidis to lead the way forward. 

The teenage sensation has been known to Greek football fans for some time, was in high demand, and tracked by Monaco. However, he opted to remain loyal to the Trifylli in the hope of receiving more playing time. He has received his first chance late in the regular season and could become the first choice in the future should Mattias Johansson depart the club as widely tipped.

It does not stop there as others in the Academy wait in the wings. Other teenagers include Marinos Sulce and Dionisis Samaras, who are coached by Sotiris Sylaidopoulos.

Therefore, the limited scope the club will have in the transfer market should be looked at as a positive since there are numerous young guns ready to impress. From now until whenever football resumes, hard work will be pivotal.

Image Source: sportime.gr

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