paokarag4

So you're saying the timing is awful and you don't have a whole lot of confidence the club will spend the money adequately? Mate there is no chance the club has scouted or prepared for this in anyway. Remember the sale of Koulierakis, we knew he was leaving in the summer from the previous January. We held onto him until we qualified for the Europa League that summer and then proceeded to scramble after he was officially sold in LATE August and we signed Omar Colley as a free-agent. Who was underwhelming to say the least.

Thank god we sold our best player on and got 26 million! They can't mess it up from here😁 Am I doing it right boys @pash @PaokCT 😉

Konstantelias has temporarily retired from the Ethniki and has ruled himself out of the 4 matches in September. Remains to be seen when/if he makes himself available again.

Ndiaye confirmed, loan with a 3 million buy-out option. At least we'll have a 2nd striking option against Brann.

We clearly fundamentally disagree on this issue at almost every turn and that's okay, we have a strong enough relationship where I think we'll be able to push passed it and be stronger than ever! Let me just say though, I really do think you are underrating Konstantelias' ability and talent. As of right now yes Tzolis has had a better career. But Konstantelias is a more naturally talented footballer. It's almost a mini Ronaldo vs Messi debate in terms of style. Tzolis is quick, direct and has a great goal sense. Konstantelias is magic, he can beat 4 players and score or create a goal for a teammate. The speed at which he can flick a ball past an opponent and then drag it back to completely wrong foot a defender is world class. He epitomises what so many people love about football. The only thing that will stop Konstantelias having a better career in Europe than Tzolis' is Ntelias himself. As I've said, my doubt is around his drive to push himself and succeed. Otherwise talent wise he has Tzolis and probably every other Greek footballer beat (Karetsas may be the exception.) I hope I'm wrong and he has a long and illustrious career in Germany and in any of the other top leagues around Europe. Fans are emotional, they don't always see the big picture when it comes to their team. I do believe the ongoing protests outside of Toumba say a lot though. It didn't happen with Tzolis and it didn't happen with Koulierakis. Why? Because in my opinion, he is a once in a generation player.

Perfectly said Bananas, and I also agree 100% with everything you have said. Certain players are simply worth more to the team than a transfer fee. 30 million as you point out is not much in modern football. Konstantelias is probably worth at least 50 million to the club, which is a number you simply aren't going to get for him, I get that and don't expect that sort of fee. So I land on he is not replaceable, Zivkovic is not replaceable, someone like Vieirinha was not replaceable. It is okay if you think different, but you aren't going to buy another player like him you can't. The only time we will see a player like him again is if we develop one again. We have done that twice in 100 years of existence, Koudas and Konstantelias. For him to be rushed out the door so hastily while the team is not in a good way and Europe hangs in the balance is careless from PAE IMO.

My point is, players like Konstantelias don't grow on trees. Especially not for a club like PAOK. If you have a shot at keeping him it should be your priority, IMO. I do also see the appeal for selling a player and pocketing 30 million. If spent right it can set us up. The way we operate in the transfer market though, you feel confident we turn that money into gold? I'm simply expressing I have no confidence in the club to 1: Spend the money at all and 2: Nail the signings. We are in a precarious position, European football for the season hangs in the balance. We have again left a good chunk of our transfer business until far too late. Same thing has been happening on loop for almost 10 years.

Double post I apologise but.... Scratch almost everything I said above, he is currently flying to Germany to complete the deal. 28 million + 2 million in bonuses. We also maintain 17.5% of any future transfer fee. Man the blowback is going to be massive and is already bubbling away. I hope the club lets Matos and Vieirinha get to work and doesn't handcuff them financially, give them a budget and let them build a team! https://www.paok24.com/metagrafes/635868/petakse-gia-germania-o-konstantelias/

You both make the assumption that we would spend that money wisely. The way we move in the transfer market and negotiate so poorly by counting pennies, I wouldn't be holding my breath that the club is capable of signing the necessary players. Matos and Vieirinha are new in the roles and may prove to be very capable but they aren't the money guys. This is complicated matter, Konstantelias is a once in a generation player. Brilliant footballer, who is not only beloved by PAOK fans but by Greek football fans all over the country. The fact that he receives applause wherever he plays says a lot, we are well aware of the toxicity that exists in Greek football. My opinion is that he is worth more than 25-30 million to PAOK(different to what we can get for him in the transfer market.) If he wants to stay then you keep him and build around him. The grass is always greener, give me a guaranteed player who we know what he can produce rather than a bunch of money. Finally(and perhaps least relevant to the transfer saga/PAOK) I really don't think he has the drive or desire required to be a success abroad. Supremely talented yes, but any club that invests that heavily in him will have demands of him professionally and require he does extra work to improve. He doesn't strike me as that kind of personality/athlete.

Wow, an awful day gets worse. I wonder if him coming was tied to us guaranteeing European football this season? Since that isn't the case he chooses La Liga over the Superleague. I am just speculating but curious.

Change in plans the man is on his way. ΠΑΟΚ: Ταξιδεύει στις Βρυξέλλες ο Κωνσταντέλιας και τίθεται στη διάθεση του Λίσι https://www.sport24.gr/football/paok-taxidevei-stis-vrixelles-o-konstantelias-kai-tithetai-sti-diathesi-tou-lisi/

I love that this is your take. Why do more teams in world football choose to park the bus and defend? Because it is easier than trying to build up and create with the ball at your feet. Don't get me wrong it takes discipline and focus to stick to it for 90 minutes and not make any mistakes. But Anderlecht did make mistakes, they conceded 2 penalties and we created more than enough to score at least once, if not twice. We weren't perfect and made our own mistakes, that is football. More goals are scored by one team making an error than by the others brilliance. I fundamentally disagree with the implication that it is harder to sit back for "89 minutes" than it is to try and break down a low block. You could set out any team to sit deep and defend, there isn't much to it tactically. The far more challenging part is being on the other side and being able to open up said defence, not become frustrated and create.

On the heels of the Loucet announcement, looks like we have finally sealed Giannoulis. Reports saying we upped our offer to 4 million plus 1 million in bonuses. He will sign a 3 year contract. Οι εξελίξεις τρέχουν εξαιρετικά γρήγορα και ο διεθνής πλάγιος μπακ αναμένεται στην Ελλάδα την Τετάρτη (05/08) για να περάσει και τυπικό κομμάτι της επιστροφής του στον ΠΑΟΚ και έπειτα να ολοκληρωθεί η μεταγραφή και να ανακοινωθεί. https://www.sport24.gr/football/paok-giannoulis-i-imera-tis-afixis-tou-neou-metagrafikou-apoktimatos-ton-aspromavron-stin-thessaloniki/

Looks like another signing is about to be completed and will be registered to play in the next round of Europa League Qualifying. Tom Louchet, 23 year old from Nice. 42 matches across all competitons last season for them. Early reports of a 3 Million Euro deal. https://www.paok24.com/podosfairo/633045/vomva-me-tom-loyse/ https://www.transfermarkt.com/tom-louchet/profil/spieler/750904

Another Greek Wonderkid gets a move to a big 5 league, Karetsas is off to Dortmund!

Tzolis has signed for Premier League champions Arsenal. Reported cost around 40 Million Euros, making him the most expensive Greek footballer in history.

Here comes the big move! He is returning to the Premier League, this time to join reigning champions Arsenal. He is a far more mature and developed footballer than when he went to Norwich as a 19 year old. Good luck to the kid, I am sure he is going to go well!

Chatzidiakos coming to Thessaloniki on Thursday, he will sign a 3 year deal. He is a solid player, but I still think we lack a leader in our back 4. I don't think Chatzidiakos is that kind of player, but he is a nice piece of the puzzle. Remains to be seen if Elustondo could be that guy. O Παντελής Χατζηδιάκος αναμένεται στη Θεσσαλονίκη την Πέμπτη (16/7) στις 19:00 για την ολοκλήρωση της μεταγραφής του στον ΠΑΟΚ. https://www.sport24.gr/football/paok-metagrafes-o-xatzidiakos-tin-pempti-sti-thessaloniki-gia-ton-dikefalo/

Santamaria looks like a done deal, will come as a free agent. We are probably still a central midfielder short, Santamaria will join Zaferis and Camara. Meite is an unknown quality with his fitness and availability. Remains to be seen if Lisci rates and uses Thymianis at all.

I doubt he would bother making an announcement if it was just for the September matches? He did say for the "upcoming" matches but wasn't specific. He maybe back at some stage, he also didn't say this was permanent but I would be surprised if he is suddenly available again in November.

I doubt it, there are and always have been rumours that he is extremely religious and a bit of a different character to other footballers. Doesn't strike me as someone who is overly driven to be a major success or push himself to play abroad. I think he is comfortable playing for us and the more the years go on, the more I believe he will never leave PAOK or Greece. While that is great for us as PAOK fans, it will probably stunt his growth as a footballer and he will probably never reach his true potential. What we have now is still a brilliant player who is a barometer for our team and someone who can turn a match in a matter of moments. Quality player, not overly motivated. Still an interesting decision to pull the pin on the Ethniki, especially at only 23 with opportunities there to qualify for major tournaments and be an integral part of those teams.

Well said pash, agree with just about all of it! Those 3 key points will make or break whether Lisci is a success or not. Just on Pusic, I am with you I wasn't thrilled at that potential appointment either. I think it just speaks to how disorganised the team is and how poorly Lucescu's exit has been handled. There is no reason he couldn't have been moved on a week after the season concluded. The club handcuffed themselves by how slow they were to make the decision. I hope Lisci is a success and has a great career with us. It is always hard to be the guy that follows a club's most successful manager.

Doesn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence, as of yet he hasn't really achieved anything outstanding. Feels like we have scrambled to get someone in as preseason starts in 2 days. These are the sort of managers though that are willing to come to Greece, unless you really break the bank to sign a manager with European pedigree. I hope he goes well and is a success, but the fact that he is seemingly a 2nd choice (all the noise around Pusic clearly we were interested) means once we have a poor run of results and the fans start getting restless, I don't know how long management will be willing to back him in for. I am a fan of hiring a younger manager though. I just hope he is ready, because Greek football is a world away from Spanish football.

Kedziora officially been announced by Dynamo Kyiv. Michailidis the only senior center back left in the squad as things stand. The center of our defence is going to look very different in 26-27. Lots of work to do for Vieirinha and Matos

Sanchez starting in Mexico's 2nd group stage match against South Korea. Kick off is in 10 minutes!