The Panathinaikos game from the other day got me thinking. The reality is that we need to sign many players, whether they are starters, or quality depth options. We are hopefully going to have three competitions next year, so we need players.
1. Goalkeeper: Baroja's loan deal should not be made permanant. He is not better than Anestis, and he's older, he's not worth spending money. We need to bring in a top quality keeper that's experienced enough to teach Anestis a few things as well as be our number goalie. Ideally, we could get Karnezis, but he's probably way too expensive for us.
2. Centerback: I like Kolovetsios a lot, and I think he can be a starter for us for many years to come, but for right now he can not be our top guy. He needs a stud centerback next to him to make things easier, he plays pretty well with Arzo next to him, just imagine how he'd do with a Bruno Alves type signing next to him.
We also need another centerback for depth because Labropoulos and Tzanetopoulos aren't that good. I would sign a younger guy around the same quality as Kolovetsios. Risvanis is a good option, but Neos Panionios will never sell him to us.
3. Left back: Soiledis is dog s%$#!, Didac is good but we can't count on him to play every single game. I would get Stafylifis maybe on loan, he does everything Soiledis does but 10x better. With Didac and Stafylidis, the options for the left back position will be just as strong as our right backs.
4. Defensive midfielders: Simoes and Johanson are tanks, but they need backups. Cordero gets hurt way too often to count on so we should get rid off him. Anakoglou played a lot of games with Veria on loan so hopefully he improved a bit to have a spot. We need two more players in this spot, even if Anakoglou has really improved. I would try to bring back Zuculini on loan and sign someone like Kourbelis.
5. Wingers: We need two more that are just as good, if not better than Barbosa. Den pame pouthena me Aravidi sta akra, I love him but he sucks on the wing. Platellas can be a decent 4th option if he learns to pass the ball.
6. Attacking Midfielder: With Mantalos, Bakasetas, and Vargas we should be good here. Hopefully we sign Bakasetas to come this summer, and not January. I would sell Buononotte or even Vargas, their stats are heavily inflated compared to their real performances, so hopefully we can rip off some team and get a decent amount of cash.
7. Striker: Vellios is a must. Keep Djebour, Aravidis, and Pekhart as well for depth. Add in Vellios and we are in a good spot with those 4, plus Bakasetas who can play up top. If Melissanidis wants he can sign Vellios right now but he's waiting for the new coach, he was ready to sign him in January but Poyet said that he wasn't worth it.
I've called for 9 players to be signed, if we bring in 9 quality players and cut the deadwood like Baroja, Soiledis, Chrisantus, Cordero, Arzo, Buononotte we should be ready to have a decent European run, and cut the gap between us and Olympiakos. This will cost some money, but if we are serious about improving then we should be able to spend it, and at least half of these signings can be Greek players which is always a good thing.
What do you all think?
