Papadopoulos returns to Olympiacos, Nikolaou signs for Empoli on loan

Olympiacos revealed that veteran defender Avraam Papadopoulos has returned to Piraeus, while young centre-back Dimitris Nikolaou joined Empoli on loan.

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Back in 2008, Papadopoulos originally joined Olympiacos from Aris, staying at the Piraeus organisation for six years until 2014 when he left for Trabzonspor. Now 34 years of age, the centre-back has been playing with Brisbane Roar for the past two seasons, however he was eager to return to Greece and consequently came to an agreement to cancel his contract with the Australian club.

On Monday evening, Olympiacos confirmed that Papadopoulos has signed a contract with the Erythrolefkoi:

“Avraam Papadopoulos welcome back to Olympiacos!”

In an interview with Olympiacos, Papadopoulos shared his feelings from the transfer: “I am really happy to return to my home. For me, Olympiacos is a lot more than just a team. I want to say a big thank you to the fans for welcoming me. I’m really proud to wear the Olympiacos jersey again and I will give everything for this club. This team is used to being at the top.”

NIKOLAOU JOINS EMPOLI ON LOAN

At the same time, 20-year-old Dimitris Nikolaou departed Piraeus, signing for Serie A club Empoli on a loan for the remainder of the 2018/2019 season.

Empoli revealed his arrival with this following official announcement:

“Empoli FC announces that an agreement has been made with Olympiacos FC for the loan of Dimitris Nikolaou with a purchase option.”

According to reports, Empoli will need to cough up 4.5 million euros if they wish to keep Nikolaou in Italy on a permanent basis after the current season ends. At the moment, they sit in 17th place of Serie A, having tallied 17 points in 20 matches.

This season, Nikolaou has largely been sitting on the sidelines with Olympiacos, only participating in one Greek Cup match. The young defender is regarded as a prospect for the future and will hope to receive regular playing time with Empoli.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sportfm.gr

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