Upcoming SLGR free agents
AGONAsport takes a look at players of AEK, Aris, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and PAOK who will become free agents in the summer of 2020.
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Yes, the 2019/2020 season hasn’t even reached it’s half-way mark yet, but clubs already need to begin their preparations for next summer with a large number of footballers set to become free agents when the campaign ends. Let’s take a closer look at players of AEK, Aris, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and PAOK who will be out of contract after the season finishes:
AEK (Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Niklas Hult, Viktor Klonaridis, Christos Giousis, Stavros Vasilantopoulos)
The management is keen to keep Niklas Hult in Athens. One of the most reliable players in the Super League, the Swedish left-back has been a key man for AEK ever since he transferred from Panathinaikos in the winter of 2018, possessing the ability to both defend and attack well. It would be a surprise if AEK let him go for free.
The future of defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy is unknown. Over the years, the experienced Ukrainian defender has emerged as the leading AEK centre-back, however he is rather injury prone and his performance level has dropped this season.
Viktor Klonaridis is completely out of luck at AEK. At times, the talented attacker has shown glimpses of the undoubted potential which he boasts, but the 27-year-old cannot build up any consistent momentum. Klonaridis is currently sitting on the sidelines with another injury problem.
Stavros Vasilantopoulos is unlikely to stay. Christos Giousis has long been highly rated, but considering the lack of opportunities at AEK, the time has surely come for him to move on.
Aris (Brown Ideye, Julian Cuesta, Nicolas Diguiny, Mihaly Korhut, Fran Velez, Bruno Gama, Javier Matilla, Martin Tonso, Hugo Sousa, Daniel Larsson, Dimitris Konstantinidis, Apostolos Tsilingiris, Dimitris Diamantopoulos, Alex Menendez)
Virtually the entire Aris first team is out of contract when the season reaches its completion. At the moment, Martin Tonso, Hugo Sousa, Dimitris Konstantinidis, Dimitris Diamantopoulos and Alex Menendez are all highly likely to leave Thessaloniki, but Aris won’t be eager to lose the likes of Nicolas Diguiny, Javier Matilla and Brown Ideye.
Ideye, 31, is gradually settling at Aris and receives good service from Diguiny, Giannis Fetfatzidis and Bruno Gama. Aris are only two points behind third-placed AEK as they push for a place in Europe again.
Olympiacos (Mathieu Valbuena, Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, Yaya Banana, Avraam Papadopoulos)
The signing of Mathieu Valbuena, who was available as a free agent after he left Fenerbahce was an excellent bit of business by Olympiacos. Despite his age, the 35-year-old has been at his scintillating best in Piraeus in the current campaign, offering Olympiacos top-class flair and creativity in the absence of injured captain Kostas Fortounis. Olympiacos would like to keep Valbuena for at least another year.
Lazaros Christodoulopoulos’ stint at Olympiacos has been marred by the anterior cruciate ligament injury which he suffered in February. On the other hand, fellow veteran Avraam Papadopoulos has proven to be very effective for the Erythrolefki in the centre of defence, so it will be interesting to see whether Olympiacos prolong his contract. Yaya Banana is frozen out of the team.
Panathinaikos (Sokratis Dioudis, Emanuel Insua, Mattias Johansson, Christos Donis, Anthony Mounier, Vangelis Oikonomou, Giorgos Angelopoulos)
Will Panathinaikos be able to protect the core of their squad? Sokratis Dioudis, Emanuel Insua and Mattias Johansson have all been particularly vital players for the Athenian club, but taking into account that the Prasini cannot play in Europe next season due to a punishment from UEFA, they may all be tempted into transferring to teams which participate in continental competition.
Under the leadership of popular coach Giorgos Donis, Panathinaikos have displayed regular glimpses of their quality in the 2019/2020 season, beating AEK while holding both Olympiacos and PAOK to draws. First-choice goalkeeper Dioudis was summoned to the Greek national team for the two UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers in October.
PAOK (Mauricio, Vieirinha)
There is a huge amount of mutual respect between PAOK and Vieirinha. The 33-year-old Portuguese right-back, well-loved among the PAOK faithful, continues to lead from the front in Thessaloniki and makes the difference in tight matches on a regular basis. Admittedly, Vieirinha is now starting to age, but Ivan Savvidis doesn’t want to part ways.
Defensive midfielder Mauricio is still struggling with his fitness after a long-term injury, but if the reports in the media are to be believed, PAOK do want to offer him a new deal.
