Sundgren involved in spat as Aris shape transfer plans
While Aris sort out their transfer plans for the summer, Daniel Sundgren has revealed that he has a terrible relationship with current head coach, Michael Oenning.
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It hasn’t been a particularly positive first season in Greece for Sundgren. When the 29-year-old joined Aris from AIK last summer, he arrived in Thessaloniki with high expectations, however the right-back subsequently failed to produce convincing performances. Sundgren was regularly included in the starting line-up initially, but he rapidly fell out of favour after Michael Oenning became the head coach.
In a recent interview with Swedish media, Sundgren stated that he’s in poor relations with Oenning, also accusing the organisation of not paying him on time.
“I don’t get on with the coach at all,” revealed Sundgren when speaking to fotbollsthlm.se. “I do not know if it is because of my performance level or personality. You must ask him about this, because he doesn’t talk to me. The situation right now is rubbish. My wages? This has been a problem for a while. In Sweden, you get paid at 00:01 on the 25th of the month, but here only those who are playing get paid. Players who aren’t playing get ignored. I was happy when I played for AIK in the Allsvenskan, and I really want to play for the club again.”
Upon hearing the news, the Aris management promptly informed Sundgren’s agent to find the Swede a new team. Aris, however, have also given the player a chance to redeem himself by submitting a written apology after Easter.
Sundgren contributed with two assists in 18 appearances across all competitions for Aris.
TRANSFER PLANS
Just like the vast majority of fellow Hellenic clubs, Aris have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with the club consequently reducing the budget for the 2020/2021 campaign.
Taking into account that Fran Velez has already penned a deal with Panathinaikos, Aris are in need of a new commanding centre-back, and they have been heavily linked with Tasos Avlonitis of Sturm Graz. Avlonitis, 30, has been a solid presence in defence for Sturm since transferring from Panathinaikos in 2018, scoring one goal and even making two assists during the 2019/2020 season. Avlonitis’ contract with the Austrian side is due to expire in June.
There is also a chance that Lindsay Rose, one of Aris’ best performers this season, could be sold.
Interestingly, according to reports from to10.gr, Aris only voted in favour of permanently ending the Super League season because of their unwillingness to play behind closed doors. Aris have lost a large amount of money in ticket sales as a result of the playoffs not taking place.
Sporting director, Angelos Charisteas, is focused on adding youth to the Aris team with the budget being significantly lowered. Aris finished in sixth place of the regular season with 34 points from 26 games.
