Tsimikas next Greek talent to attract attention at Olympiacos

Konstantinos Tsimikas, a transfer priority for Napoli in Italy, is the next talented Greek player representing Olympiacos to attract attention from major European clubs.

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Tsimikas has grabbed the attention of several clubs with his superb showings this season. Playing on the left side of the defensive line, Tsimikas has been fantastic for Olympiacos in both defence and attack, contributing with a grand total of seven assists across all competitions. According to reports, both Napoli and Internazionale of Serie A are preparing to submit high bids for the 23-year-old in the upcoming summer transfer window, while Lokomotiv Moscow are also carefully tracking his progress. Transfermarkt rates Tsimikas’ value at 4.5 million euros but, if Olympiacos are to sell one of their prized possessions, the bid would have to exceed 15 million.

He wouldn’t be the first big Greek talent to be sold by Olympiacos in recent years.

The most recent example of Olympiacos cashing in on a gifted Greek player is Panagiotis Retsos. Three years ago, Olympiacos opted to sell the versatile defender after he caught the eye in the senior team, with Bayer Leverkusen paying the Erythrolefki 17.5 million for the teenager. Touted as a potential world star, Retsos subsequently struggled with injury problems in Germany, and he is currently playing in England on loan at Sheffield United. The coronavirus pandemic has once again prevented Retsos from gaining any momentum.

Fellow defender, Kostas Manolas, is regarded as one of the world’s best centre-backs. Following his transfer from AEK in 2012, Manolas enjoyed two impressive years in Piraeus before Roma, splashing 15 million on the powerful centre-back, prised him away from Olympiacos. Roma then made a profit worth 21 million on Manolas in July 2019 when Napoli decided to activate his release clause. 

Another headline departure from Piraeus was Kostas Mitroglou. After returning from loan spells with Panionios and Atromitos in 2012, the striker shone for Olympiacos with his productive displays, scoring plenty of goals and persuading Fulham to sign him for 15.2 million in January 2014. However, Mitroglou failed to settle in England, and Olympiacos loaned him for the 2014/2015 campaign. The 30-year-old is now competing as a loanee with PSV Eindhoven from Marseille. 

Full-backs, Vasilis Torosidis, and Jose Cholevas were both signed by Roma from Olympiacos in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In the end, Torosidis spent five years in Italy before returning to Olympiacos in July 2018, and the vastly experienced 34-year-old can now often be found on Pedro Martins’ bench. Cholevas, 35, penned a deal with Watford in 2015 after a single campaign in Serie A. 

Dimitris Siovas, a Greek international defender, was loaned to Leganes by Olympiacos in January 2017 with the Spaniards eventually paying three million to sign him on a permanent basis. Siovas, 31, moved from Panionios to Olympiacos in 2012, winning the Super League four times and the Greek Cup twice. Central midfielder, Andreas Samaris, generated 10 million for Olympiacos in June 2013 when Benfica came calling. The 30-year-old is still playing in Lisbon with his contract running until June 2023.

It now remains to be seen if, or maybe when, Olympiacos will decide to sell Tsimikas for a healthy sum of money. If the latest reports are to be believed, Napoli have already made the left-back a transfer priority this year, while Lokomotiv in Russia are supposedly choosing whether to pounce for Tsimikas or Dimitris Giannoulis of PAOK. 

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