Slutsky involved in advanced AEK negotiations

Leonid Slutsky is involved in advanced negotiations with AEK concerning the position of head coach, according to various reports.

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Following the departure of Miguel Cardoso in late August, AEK initially made a big improvement under the leadership of Nikos Kostenoglou, but results and performances have since horribly dropped off. Conceding goals for fun, the Kitrinomavri have slipped to a lowly fifth position of the Super League, trailing the leading pair of Olympiacos and PAOK by a large 10 points after just 12 rounds.

Reports are now heavily suggesting that Russian coach, Leonid Slutsky, is on the verge of becoming the new AEK boss.

Slutsky began the season at the helm of Vitesse in the Eredivisie. However, after a poor run of form, the 48-year-old decided to leave the Dutch organisation on November 29. Slutsky became a popular figure in the Netherlands with his quirky sense of humour and unique character.

In the past, Slutsky enjoyed plenty of success in his home country with CSKA Moscow between 2009 and 2016, winning the Russian Premier League three times and the Russian Cup on two occasions while regularly taking the capital club into the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.

In August 2015, Slutsky received the role of the head coach of the senior Russian national team, managing the nation in the group phase of UEFA Euro 2016. Russia claimed a draw against England at that particular tournament, before losing to Slovakia and Wales to suffer elimination. Slutsky has also notably managed Krylya Sovetov and Hull City.

According to reports, AEK technical director Ilija Ivic travelled to Holland to meet Slutsky this week, and the latter appears to be keen on the idea of moving to Athens. Slutsky will inform AEK of his final decision on Friday.

Kostenoglou will, in any case, be sacked, regardless of the outcome against Panionios at home in the Super League at the weekend. Ivic lost all faith in Kostenoglou after suffering two painful defeats to Panathinaikos and OFI on the road.

Marko Nikolic, the former head coach of Vidi in Hungary, had previously been the frontrunner for the AEK job.

GERALDES, SIMAO SET TO LEAVE

Both Francisco Geraldes and David Simao were signed to add depth and quality to the AEK midfield, however they have failed to make any kind of impact in Greece. Geraldes signed on loan from Sporting Lisbon, whereas Simao penned a three-year deal with AEK after the club paid Royal Antwerp 400,000 euros for his services.

All indications are pointing towards AEK sending Geraldes back to Lisbon in the January transfer window. At the start of the campaign, Geraldes was in Cardoso’s starting line-up, but it’s all gone wrong since he received a red card against Xanthi at the Olympic Stadium on matchday one of the Super League. Geraldes has rarely featured under Kostenoglou.

Simao, for his part, immediately fell behind Andre Simoes, Nenad Krsticic and Konstantinos Galanopoulos in the pecking order. When he has been given an opportunity, the Portuguese midfielder has shown glimpses of his talent on the field, but AEK aren’t convinced and want to either cancel his contract or offload him to another team. Geraldes, Simao and much-criticised Bosnian defender Ognjen Vranjes are all currently training alone.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sport-fm.gr

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