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Transfer News and Rumors - Summer 2021


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Nice analysis pash.

Agree with the sells, especially Tzolis.  His value is dropping by the day.  Three months ago 15 million seemed possible now we'd be struggling for 10 million.  I am ok with selling Swiderski if we can sign Krmencik who he is an animal.  We don't want a situation where we don't have both.

El Kaddouri - I would keep if he signed for a reduced wage.  He had arguably his best season for us in terms of consistency and stepped up when required.  Still, his wage is too high for my liking.  I'm sure will shop around and if he can't find anything better will then consider staying with us.

GK - Paschalakis really improved in the last couple of months and although he really was a superman in the Cup Final I still think we need better.  Upgrading the GK would be a "nice to have" if it can be done.

Varela/Crespo - we have extracted what we can out of these two legends.  Can't ask for more really.  Let them move in with dignity when the time comes.  Champions.

Must re-sign Ingason - will be tricky to resign but as you said most critical.  Also Zivkovic and to my surprise Warda who has been very good on his (what is it?) 4th go.

I think overall we are ok up front.  We score enough.  A midfielder would be good because if Schwab isn't in form we lack in the middle.  The critical area will be defence.  All of our CB's are ageing (I include Vieirinha in this camp).  If we can get a solid CB to link up with Ingason, and Ingason re-signs, it will bode well for the future.  Hoping Michailidis and Mihaj come good next season.  The absolute priorities for me are getting two full backs (both left and right).  Rodrigo is ok and gives it all but he's no Matos and never will be.  Baba has been overall excellent.  Would be awesome to get him again and someone of similar quality on the other flank.

Apparently we have a guy called Kagawa - is he any good ? 😂

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I think the definite sales this summer have got to be Karol and Tzolis. This will no doubt be an unpopular opinion but I would also cash in on Paschalakis now that he seems to be back in form. We don't need to see him lose it a third time.

If we can find a buyer for Douglas then I don't think it would be a bad idea to sell. Happy for El Kaddouri to go, to be honest I think he wants to go back to Italy anyway.

Krmencik should be the priority this summer as a replacement for Karol. We also need a winger and a faster central midfielder.

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On 5/18/2021 at 8:15 AM, pash said:

Since I have nothing better to do right now, here's my wish list:

SELL

  • Swiderski - get a few million out of him and move on
  • Tzolis - extract as much value as we can immediately. He is going to regress next year if he plays with us.
  • Augusto - if Ferreira still wants him, I say sell him ASAP. We can do much better
  • Pereira - there was a rumor a few weeks back that some Spanish side wanted him. If any offers at all come in, I'd say sell. It's clear that two coaches now don't particularly care for him

LOAN

  • Ninua - Garcia doesn't seem to like him, but who knows how long Garcia will be around. Guy's got a great free kick on him, but that's not enough to keep him around
  • Vrakas/Konstantelias - these guys are destined for the B squad, assuming it ever is created
  • Bradonjic - if he didn't even make the bench vs Asteras, there's no reason to keep him around

LET 'EM WALK

  • Adios, El Kaddouri
  • Lamprou - should probably be released early. If he was playing like in his first stint with us, I'd think differently

Question marks - essentially all of our defenders are in a contract year

  • Pashalakis - his contract is up in June of 2022. Team needs to decide if they're going to extend, sell, or sit on him. I would be fine any way this goes
  • Zivkovic - we really should only keep one of him or Pashalakis...
  • Crespo - contract also over in 2022. Don't offer to renew. He's lost a step over the past two years
  • Varela - still better than Crespo, in the same situation contract-wise. I'd keep him on
  • Ingason - renewal must be a priority; our best defender
  • Lyratzis - I would extend his contract. Not given enough chances; I think he's looked pretty good when asked to play
  • Vieirinha - whatever happens, don't let it drag through the summer after it expires like last year. Still have a year to figure it out though
  • Andrija Zivkovic - offer a big pay bump for a new three-year contract. We'll be able to afford it
  • Murg - big time underperformance. I wouldn't be bothered if he doesn't stay with the team. But I do see that there's definitely some skill there - only question is if he'll actually use it
  • Warda - also up in 2022, extend the guy this summer assuming he doesn't have his customary August falling-out with the coach
  • Tsiggaras - extend, he has a lot of potential

BUY

  • Krmencik - I really like this guy. Plays like a less accurate, more agile Prijovic. Weirdly agile for his size, scores a decent number of goals. With better supporting players he could really lock down that #1 spot

Overall, we have a handful of veterans that I can see us moving on from, and anywhere from 7.5 to 20mm in funds coming in (depending on if we sell Swiderski/Tzolis). A substantially improved squad could be in our near future.

Let's take another look at pash's list now that we have a new coach, who I believe will also serve as a temporary TD. It will be interesting to see who stays and who goes. 

I think some of the players on the list would make Pablo's team while they will not be on Lucescu's team. I am really waiting to see what will happen with Warda as well as some of the youngsters (Tsiggaras, Lyratzis).

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I think Warda's going to get the boot. Razvan probably got his fill of the guy last time, but who knows...maybe he'll keep an open mind.

I had forgotten to mention Esiti before - the guy has very little of the technical ability Lucescu values so much. Sad to say, I think we'll get rid of him. Biseswar will get another look this preseason but I honestly think he's on a permanent decline, sadly...

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It's possible he might keep Biseswar as a backup, but than again he will be 2 years older from the time he last coached him. Same goes for Varela and Crespo and I would not be surprised if they are replaced by younger players.

Not sure how easy it will be to get rid of Esiti mainly due to his salary. Probably another loan solution for him.

I am also interested to see what happens with our offense. We can probably assume Tzolis will be sold at any cost, so we can have a budget to bring in all these new players that Lucescu will want to bring. Maybe use some of that money to buy Krmencik, who could become Razavan's "Prijovic" on his new team, but I have a feeling Krmencik is not returning to PAOK. I would not be surprised to see Colak back from Sweden at the end of his loan in December. He also has a decision to make on Swiderski.

Also if he has any say on the matter, I think Lucescu would like to keep El Kaddouri.

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All of that is true. I'm sure all of us have seen the rumors that (several) teams in the Czech Republic were interested in Krmencik, though who knows if they could afford him. Lucescu also doesn't have the connection to him that a casual fan (or obviously Garcia) would.

Speaking of which, there's already plenty of buzz that Colak is gonna be bought by his current club but who knows. So many question marks!

 

The thing about players like Varela and Crespo is that I could see it go either way. Lucescu has shown a great deal of unwillingness to accept new blood in the past. But if he detects a decline in those two right now, he could just as easily decide to move on before it becomes an issue. Same goes for any player, really...but I also have a suspicion that we'll see some guys look markedly better in this new system. And a few probably will look worse.

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I can't see Lucescu relying on the old guard as part of a serious 3 year plan.  They are literally too old to be with us in 3 years from now.  They will all need to be replaced but this doesn't mean it has to happen right away.  You can still get another season out of them.  I don't really care what transfers we do so long as they are good transfers.  Tired of signings expensive duds or cheap youngsters that are nowhere near ready for first team football.  When Matos, Crespo, Varela, Shakhov, Canas, Biseswar, Prijovic were all signed, they were clearly an upgrade and ready to lift the team.  These are the sort of transfers - quality wise - we need.

First things first, Lucescu needs to assess the squad, cull or keep as he sees fit and importantly decide on a formation with european qualifiers in mind.  It's all well and good to want to revert back to a 4-2-3-1 but the fact is we don't have the quality of wingers and forwards we did and we leaked lots of goals this season.

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The question is, who chose the last set of winners? By and large, it was Michel. Not sure I have faith in Lucescu making those choices. Hopefully our better scouts are still with the team at this point and still making good recommendations.

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2 hours ago, pash said:

The question is, who chose the last set of winners? By and large, it was Michel. Not sure I have faith in Lucescu making those choices. Hopefully our better scouts are still with the team at this point and still making good recommendations.

we have scouts?

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I'd be fascinated to know the difference between the scouted targets we get and then those made by the executive with no input from the scouts. I still can't believe we paid good money for Colak and hope to Christ we didn't actually scout him. Even his highlight reels were awful.

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Apparently Monchengladbach are going to make an official offer for Tzolis. How much they offer will be the deciding factor if we sell or not. We still want 15 million, as some of you have pointed out that now maybe a little hard to get given his drop in the last couple of months.  

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Not sure he'd even get much time there. There is stiff competition on both wings. But I see they recently have been playing a 3-4-2-1, which Tzolis has shown he can do well in. They should at least have the funds to meet our asking price, though - let them have 'im!

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As per every transfer window since he left, Prijovic is being linked with a return to us. Apparently Red Star Belgrade is the favourite to get him but we are in the mix.

2 questions I would have, what kind of shape is he in? I'm generally against players returning especially after they've gone chasing money in the Middle East and Asia (there are exceptions where players come back to Europe and are able to play at a good level) and secondly how much would he want? Sounds like he will be demanding quite a big salary. 
 

 

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Hopefully it’s just the media making fables.  I loved Prijovic - he was the first real striker we had in years.  A dereki that could finish and was hungry for goals.  Simple yes, but effective and he created a lot of space for those around him.  He was also solid in the air.  Defences feared him as they should.

If I believed he was as good now as then I would have him back, but I don’t believe that. He has had a poor season in the Arab League where by rights he should be smashing in goals.  That is problem number one.  Problem number two is his very high wages.  Problem number three is his age - 31.  I would not take the risk.  Better to try and find a new striker.  If by some chance he was willing to come cheap (which I can’t see happening and why should he) I would have him in the squad and if he comes good that’s great and if not we’d have other options.  But that isn’t a realistic scenario.

Having said that I think I gave a similar spiel about signing Vieirinha some years back and how that was a bad idea, so what the hell do I know.

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There is literally no reason to hire Prijovic over Krmencik. When you account for his wages, the higher cost of purchasing Krmencik is offset. Plus...Krmencik's style is much more in line with how Lucescu's wants his guys to play. Remember, Prijovic was kind of an outlier stylistically.

Watch Lucescu break the bank to get him back now that I wrote that.

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1 hour ago, Bananas said:

Having said that I think I gave a similar spiel about signing Vieirinha some years back and how that was a bad idea, so what the hell do I know.

The main difference is that Vieirinha had been playing at a much higher level than the Superleague in Germany and had been a starter for years in a team that played Champions League football. As you rightly pointed out, Prijovic is coming off a poor season numbers wise in a league he should be dominating, Vieirinha never had that problem. 
 

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I would take Krmencik over Prijovic too. Generally I consider anybody going to Saudi Arabaia and China for the big bucks over the hill players. And I would say that goes for coaches too (Lucescu). Having said that though, I think it will be very difficult to sign Krmnecik. The best scenario might be another loan, but I have a feeling Brugge will sell him somewhere else since they expect Tzolis to be part of the deal and I don't think PAOK and Tzolis want that. 

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Apparently El Kaddouri agreed to a 3-year contract extension worth 730K per season. At the beginning of negotiation Kaddouri was asking for 1.1 mil. Recently the offers/demands were PAOK 650K/Kaddouri 800K. if this latest rumor (plus hints by Lucescu at press conference) are true than both sides met in the middle and agreed at 730K. 

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3 years ... hmmm ... would have preferred 2 years given his tendency to get injured.  What wage is El Khaddouri on now ?

Overall, I'd be happy to still have him in the squad.  As his lover boy @paokarag4 always like to remind us, he is *very* good technically and has much to offer if used correctly.

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Hahaha he is my boy! Just an underrated player, you don't need to dribble 3 players or bang in goals to necessarily be a handy player. No coincidence he's been a starter under 3 coaches! 

I'll be happy if that report is true and he has re-signed, we'll be seeing plenty of him under Lucescu. 

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Agree, I think he reached his celling with PAOK. Although good tactically, Limnios is limited technically. I hope this isn't Lucescu's plan to bring a bunch of his ex players back and build the team around them.

I dare say it's mainly these sites trying to produce the same amount of articles as they do in the winter, which is difficult when there is no football being played. 

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