Retsos hoping for more luck in Sheffield
Panagiotis Retsos, who recently moved on loan to Sheffield United of the English Premier League, is hoping for more success after encountering several injury problems at Bayer Leverkusen.
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The talent which Retsos clearly possesses has never been called into question. Having caught the eye at Olympiacos, Retsos was snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2017, with the German outfit coughing up 17.5 million euros for the versatile defender. Initially, he made a great start to life in Germany, scoring the one goal and dishing out three assists in 24 Bundesliga appearances during the 2017/2018 campaign. Rumours also began to suggest that Barcelona were preparing a bid.
However, things quickly took a turn for the worse.
In August 2018, Retsos encounter thigh problems, and he only returned to action in November. Sadly for Retsos, lady luck certainly wasn’t on his side, as he promptly received another thigh blow in his first match since recovering from the previous injury. Retsos subsequently missed the remainder of the 2018/2019 campaign, only returning to competitive football on 29 October 2019 in a German Cup game against Paderborn.
Before the winter break, Retsos did compete in two UEFA Champions League matches and three Bundesliga games, but he was often left on the Leverkusen bench. Retsos had openly spoke about the likelihood of being shifted out on loan in the January transfer window.
Something which did happen.
On the last day of the transfer period, Sheffield United secured the services of Retsos, signing him on loan for the rest of the campaign while also holding a purchase option. “I think that the Premier League is the best championship in the world, so it’s a great honour to be here,” said Retsos after the transfer became official. “However, it is also an honour to play for such an historic team like Sheffield United. I’m happy to wear the red and white colours again, my previous clubs Olympiacos and Bayer Leverkusen also played in red! Everyone dreams of playing in the Premier League.”
The 21-year-old, incidentally, is the 26th Greek footballer in history to play in the English Premier League.
It won’t be easy for Retsos to make his mark in England, though. Coached by the wily Chris Wilder, Sheffield United have been a revelation since earning promotion from the Championship last season, earning many an admirer with their ambitious, gallant style of play which has seen the outsiders rise to fifth place of the Premier League. With the team in superb form, Retsos will find it tough to hold down a regular spot in the starting line-up, and the young Greek remained on the bench as an unused substitute at the weekend as his new team defeated Bournemouth 2-1 at home.
Nevertheless, when Retsos does receive a chance by Wilder, he will have an ideal opportunity to once again start showing why he is a potential star of the European game. Although he is listed as a centre-back, Retsos can play on either flank if required, and he was recently used as a defensive midfielder by the under 21 Greek national team during a UEFA European Championship qualifier against Scotland.
Retsos will also be hoping to force his way into the plans of senior Greek national team head coach, John van ‘t Schip. He did make his debut for the Ethniki Omada on 31 August 2017 in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying duel with Estonia in Athens.
Transfermarkt currently values Retsos at nine million.
