Olympiakos Transfer Window, Fresh Faces in Piraeus

Olympiakos Transfer Window, Fresh Faces in Piraeus

By Stephen Kountourou

With that the European transfer window slams shut. It has certainly been an eventual, busy and quite frankly, crazy few months with the equitation and sales of players happening all around Europe. 

The pandemic that has gripped the population of the earth for most of the year has had a massive effect on clubs willing to both sell and buy, making transfers and sales be drawn out for longer then they perhaps would have under normal circumstances. 

The same could certainly be said about the transfer business of Olympiakos. The Greek champions have had a hugely busy widow from the get go, selling stars such as talented left back Kostas Tsimikas to Liverpool, captain Omar Elabdellaoui leaving on a free transfer to Galatasaray, and holding midfielder Guilherme to the middle east with Qatari side Al Sadd. 

With all these starting players, and many others leaving the club, it was integral that Thrylos not only replaced the players that they had lost, but baluster the squad further with fresh faces ready to pull on the red and white shirt, help the club retain their league title and compete in the biggest stage in European football, the Champions League. 

So now that the transfer window has closed for now until the new year, I will be taking a look at Olympiakos latest signings, how well they played the previous season and give them a rating afterward for how good a signing I think they are. 

I will even give an overall rating for Thrylos transfer window at the end. So let's take a look at these fresh faces. 

Ögmundur Kristinsson

We start with a transfer that, despite happening fairly early in the window, was strangely only announced on the 2nd of October, step forward Icelandic goalkeeper Ogmundur Krstinsson. Signed from AEL Larissa at the end of last season for a reported 400,000 Euros at first glance this looked like a rather strange signing from the Piraeus side. 

But after doing some research it turns out that the Icelandic International kept 11 clean sheets in 32 Greek Super league matches for the Thessaly side which is a good return for a side that only just missed out on the playoffs last season. 

He will face stiff competition as back up goalkeeper, having basically replaced French goalkeeper Bobby Alain, Jose Sa the stand out first choice for the foreseeable future and young Greek shot stopper Konstantinos Tzolakis also competition for his place. 

The 31 year old will have to prove his worth and that he is better then 3rd choice, in a squad brimming with goalkeeping talent. 

I will rate this transfer 6/10

Rafinha

After the sale of Elabdellaoui and Bruno Gaspars loan not being made permanent, Olympiakos found themselves extremely thin in the right back area. 

They were eventually able to fill the first right back slot with veteran Brazilian fullback Rafinha, a massive signing for the club despite his age. 

After winning everything there was to win in club football with Bayern Munich, the former Brazillian international returned to his native country with a spell at Flamengo, winning Serie A, the Supercopa do Brazil and the Copa Libertadores. Having now concurred with South American football also, it seemed like his head was turned by the chance of returning to Europe and playing in the Champions League once more. 

It seems as though Olympiakos have very much signed Rafinha to act as the starting right back this season. Despite now being 35, the Brazilian has already shown his ageless class on the ball this season with his numerous crosses into the box, chances created, an assist to his name in the league after three games and putting up decent performances against Omonia in the Champions League Playoffs. 

He will be invaluable to the club throughout this campaign with a wealth of experience in winning both domestic and international titles. I rate this transfer 8/10.

Jose Holebas 

The return of a former player is always speculated with every passing transfer window. Some are met with excitement while with others, you hope that the rumoured return is just that, a rumour. 

The former can certainly be said for another veteran to return to the shores of Piraeus, former Greek international left back Jose Holebas. After departing Olympiakos for pastures new in 2014 to Roma, the German born Greek has spent the last five seasons in England where he was, for the most part, an important part of a Watford side that was a consistent Premier League team over that period. After a turbulent final season in Hertfordshire, which saw the hornets relegated and Holebas not play a competitive game after new year's day 2020, the 36 year old left back returned to Piraeus on a free transfer to finish off the twilight years of his career, to the club where he made a name for himself. 

Having initially arrived as a veteran presence in the changing room, after the retirement of Vasilis Torosidis, Holebas this season has found himself playing far more than even he probably thought he would. 

With ongoing transfer sagas involving other left back talent that eventually petered out into nothing, the veteran has been forced to play every game so far this season and while he has performed admirably in all competitions his age has shown a number of times, not being the player who left Thrylos 6 years ago. 

Now his side have acquired a new left back, that I shall talk about later on, Holebas will probably see less game time over the course of the season. But if and when he is called to play, I am sure that he will be more then up to the task. 

I rate this transfer 7/10. 

Ahmed Hassan

I will be the first to admit, I was excited to see this transfer happen. 

After two loan spells with the club, firstly in 18/19 and again during the second half 19/20, where he scored some integral goals to help Olympiakos lift the Super League title, it only seemed logical to sign the Egyptian striker permanently from parent club Braga. 

Despite not having the best start to the new season, with his flaws really starting to show in the first leg tie vs Omonia in Piraeus, I am still hopeful that, while Hassan will never hit the heights, ball progression and technique of fellow forward El Arabi, he will do what he has one best over his time in Piraeus, coming off of the bench to pop up with a goal or two when called upon to play, which we all thought he had done late on against PAS Giannina until it was ruled out for offside. I do see the value in Hassan. 

I will give this transfer a 6.5/10.

Pepe 

The first of a plethora of Portuguese players to arrive at the club, midfielder Pepe Rodrigues was initially thought to be the replacement for the outgoing Guilherme when links to Olympiakos began to circulate. 

In actual fact the former Vitoria player is more comparable to Mady Camara and is comfortable further up the pitch rather than an out and out defender and was an essential part of his side in all competitions last season, playing 46 times scoring 3 and assisting 5 in a productive campaign. 

After a couple of weeks delay, despite the player arriving in Greece to sign with the champions, the move was officially made, with the 23 year old signing for a reported 4 Million Euros. This signing definitely has Pedro Martins seal of approval with the Portuguese most likely very away aware of his compatriots footballing talents, having previously managed Vitoria while Pepe was a player there. Whether he will be a guaranteed starter this season for Olympiakos it remains to be seen with stiff competition in midfield but either way, Pepe is a great addition to the squad and one that we definitely see the talents of very soon after the international break I'm sure. 

I rate this transfer 7.5/10.   

Yann M'Vila

All I will say with this one is that this transfer saga dragged on for way too long when attempting to sign French defensive midfielder Yann M'Vila. 

The problems arose when St Etienne voiced that they wanted a transfer fee for the French international, despite an agreement reached with the player in question to terminate his contract so that Olympiakos could pay his high wages. 

Eventually after a few weeks, when push came to shove, Thrylos eventually got their wishes and their man. Despite not having the best of seasons with the Ligue 1 side in 19/20, the 30 year old has already shown signs, when he has played in the league and in Europe, that he has the potential to be the replacement to Guilherme that the Piraeus need. 

Unlike his predecessor M'Vila is a definite out and out number 6. His solidity in the base of midfield, his ability to regain possession and distribute the ball to a teammate, as well as his defending frees up the attack minded including Mady Camara who likes to progress the ball and gives the back line that defensive reassurance. 

While he still needs time to jell with the side properly and some of his decision making needs to improve I think that, much like M'Vila's play style, he is a very solid signing for the Greek champions. 

I rate this transfer 8/10.     

Mohamed Drager 

The second right back to sign for the club in the same transfer window, for a reported fee of 1.1 Million Euros, Mohamed Drager happened rather out of nowhere when compared to other signings for Olympiakos this season. 

He spent last season at Paderborn on loan from Freiburg where, despite being relegated he still managed a goal and 3 assist in 18 appearances which is a decent return in a poor side. 

The fact that he played in Germany for a smaller team, his attacking prowess, and his ability to even play on the wing, has given raised comparisons of the recently departed Omar Elabdelloui. 

While I do not think he will be the starting right back this season, it seems as though he is touted as the eventual first choice if he can prove himself this season. 

Maybe in time the 24 year old will begin to see more game time with Rafinha, understandably, unable to play a full season of football under his belt at his age. 

I see this as a rather shrewd signing for Thrylos. 

I rate this one a 7/10.

Tiago Silva  

Ever since Olympiakos owner, Evangelos Marinakis, acquired Nottingham Forest Thrylos have been linked to at least one player from the Championship side and vice versa every transfer window. 

Normally they are just links and rumours just for rumours sake, but occasionally those rumours are true, such is the case of Portuguese midfielder Tiago Silva. 

The second member of the Portuguese revolution this summer, the 27 year old had a solid season in the second tier, playing all but one game in the league and scoring 4 goals and 4 assists in all competitions. 

Although he seems to play attacking midfield, I can see Martins playing him in a similar role to that of Camara, more in centre midfield but progressing the ball in attack. 

With both new and new players able to compete for a starting space in his position, Silva will have to work hard if he stands himself any chance of winning a place in the team consistently this season. 

I rate the signing of Silva 7.5/10.  

Bruma 

Talk about an out of nowhere transfer number 1. Within the space of 48 hours he was on the plane, finished his medical and was signed on loan with a 7 Million Euro option to buy, by Sunday night. 

The third Portuguese addition to the squad, Left winger Bruma sent Olympiakos fans into real excitement on social media when he was announced as a Thrylos player for the season. 

Despite some mixed reviews from PSV supporters, who are his parent club, Bruma did manage 3 goals and 3 assists last season in under a thousand minutes which, given the circumstances is not bad at all. 

The 25 year old seems to have an extraordinary amount of pace which is something Olympiakos have been crying out for on either side of the wing. 

This to me is a no brainer signing. If he does perform well and proves his critics wrong, there's a chance, despite a rather expensive price tag, to sign him permanently. 

If he flops, well his loan spell will simply be cancelled and much like Yassine Benzia and Emre Mor, he will return to his parent club in disgrace. 

I rate this transfer 8/10.   

Ruben Vinagre

After literal months of transfer sagas, players coming close to signing, deals stalling and going cold, Olympiakos have finally found a left back to replace Kostas Tsimikas, for a year at least, and what a signing he is. 

The fourth and final Portuguese player to arrive at the club and on deadline day no less, Ruben Vinagre. This signing might have drawn the biggest excitement from Thrylos supporters, as the Portuguese under 21s international arrives in Piraeus with a big reputation on his shoulders despite only being 21 years old.  

Although he was not a starter for Wolves since their return to the Premier League in 2018/19, Vinagre has seen some game time over the past two seasons with a mixture of starts and off the bench appearances for the midlands side. 

The move to Olympiakos will finally be a chance for the talented attacking full back to become a first team regular in a top European side and will also ease the responsibilities of an aging Jose Holebas. 

He does come with an option to sign permanently as well, although it stands at an astronomical 22.5 Million Euros, a fee that the Greek champions do not even spend in a whole transfer window let alone on an individual player. Despite this, I have every confidence that Vinagre will be a stellar signing for Olympiakos this season. 

I rate this one 8.5/10.

Final Thoughts 

To finish, I believe that Olympiakos could not have had a better transfer window. 

Despite certain deals not going through or being drawn out for far longer than necessary, the Piraeus side has managed to not only strengthen the squad with their new signings but to also replace key areas where most needed, and most importantly in my mind, keep current players that were highly touted for moves to bigger leagues and teams around the continent, such as Ruben Semedo, Mady Camara and Jose Sa, all of whom looked as though they could be on their way out. 

But Thrylos stood firm and would not let themselves be cleared out by other sides and left completely in need of a squad overhaul, something that has happened all too often in seasons gone by. 

After a very exciting end to the transfer window, it could not be a more perfect way to kick start an equally exciting season for an Olympiakos side on the up. 

I rate this transfer window for the Greek champions 8/10.  

Hellas Football 

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