Teenage defender Stergiou catching the eye in Switzerland 

Leonidas Stergiou, a teenage centre-back, has starred in the Swiss Super League with St. Gallen as major European clubs carefully track his progress.

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Stergiou is an unknown quantity to the majority of Greek fans. Born in Switzerland with his father a Greek, the 17-year-old has spent the whole of his life so far in the country of his birth, joining the St. Gallen academy at a young age and subsequently progressing through the ranks to the first team. Transfermarkt states that Stergiou holds both Swiss and Greek citizenship.

Despite his tender age, Stergiou has been a shining light for St. Gallen in the Super League this season, racking up a grand total of 1,421 minutes on the pitch over the course of 16 matches in the championship. Stergiou has also played in two Swiss Cup games.

The gifted central defender has been included in the St. Gallen line-up for every single Super League game except two matches which he missed through injury. St. Gallen, occupying third place of the standings and trailing leaders Young Boys by three points, have conceded a grand total of 25 goals in 18 matches.

Stergiou initially made his competitive debut for the senior St. Gallen side in February 2019, participating in a 3-1 victory against FC Zurich. Since then, the defender has experienced rapid development, standing out with his calmness, composure, speed and excellent positioning. He is also capable of playing as a right-back if required.

Already one of the best centre-backs in Switzerland, Stergiou has reportedly attracted the attention of Atletico Madrid and Sevilla in Spain, while Olympiacos are also considering submitting a bid for the talented teenager. Stergiou, valued at 750,000 euros by Transfermarkt, is under contract at St. Gallen until the completion of the 2020/2021 campaign.

Naturally, the Hellenic Football Federation wants to have Stergiou representing Greece, but it faces stiff competition from Switzerland. Stergiou has already played for Switzerland at U15, U16, U17 and U19 level and, if reports are to be believed, their federation is eager to cap him for the first team before the Greeks have a chance to snap him up. Swiss coaches are trying their best to persuade Stergiou to play for their country.

Head coach of the Greek national team, John van ‘t Schip, is aware of the situation as he continues following Stergiou’s progress.

“If someone told me that I would make 16 appearances this season in the Super League, I would have been surprised,” revealed Stergiou in a recent interview with the Swiss press. “However, sometimes things happen quickly, and this has been the case for me. At first, it wasn’t easy for me to play at this level, especially when I made by debut as a 16-year-old inside a stadium full with 10,000 fans. It was a huge change. Overall, I never like to look too far ahead, I take it game by game. We, as a club, want to continue being successful.”

The main goal for Stergiou, at the moment, is to continue performing with such stability and consistency. For its part, the EPO needs to get a move on to secure his services for Greece, otherwise the rather hesitant approach could come back to haunt the organisation.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: To10.gr

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