Sokratis, The Statement Signing

Sokratis, The Statement Signing

By Steve Kountourou 

On Saturday the 23rd of January, news started to filter through that none other than experienced defender and Greek international Sokratis Papastathopoulos, was on the verge of signing for Olympiakos just days after cancelling his contract with former club Arsenal. Originally upon hearing the rumours earlier on in winter transfer window, I was rather sceptical as this just seemed to be lazy links from the English media for a Greek footballer to return to a Greek club, despite the Sokratis previously stating in an interview that he would not be returning to Greece to play club football. Rumours continued to circulate with the player linked with former clubs AEK Athens, Genoa and Werder Breman, Liverpool as he had previously played under then Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp and Turkish side Fenerbahce due to then teammate Mesul Ozil being on the verge of joining them. 

Eventually however, it was Olympiakos that won the race to sign the player and by Monday the deal was done and Sokratis was in the red and white of the Greek Champions, penning a two and a half year contract at 1.5 million Euros a year. But why is this signing seen as such a coup for Thrylos? Well this week I will be taking a deep dive into Sokratis return to Greece and transfer to Olympiakos, what it means for Thrylos and the league with such a big player returning and how he benefits the club both on and off the pitch.       

Style of Play and what He Brings to the Team

Sokratis has always been praised for his warrior style of play in the centre of defence when he first left Greece way back in 2008. He has tended to be the more conservative of a defensive pairing, lying in wait inside his team's half of the pitch for the right time to go in for a well timed tackle. The Greek international has a fearlessness when going into a challenge and his hard working mentality has been hugely important to keep his side from conceding. That is not to say that he does not have ball playing capabilities, as his distribution has improved throughout his career in Europe and is another valuable asset he has since added to his repertoire. Everything he does for the most part is with decisiveness, even being fairly good in the air despite not being as tall as the likes of fellow teammates Semedo and Ba. 

One of the key elements he brings that a team like Olympiakos need among all else, is leadership in defence. He has been extremely vocal when communicating with teammates for both club and country and that energy off and on the pitch is the kind of mentality that can be a fantastic example for a Thrylos side under constant pressure to perform week in week out. Even without playing a game at the time of writing, you feel as though if successful early on and shows real leadership, Sokratis is a strong contender to become club captain. This signing takes the team to the next level in not only reasserting their dominance domestically but giving themselves a fantastic opportunity to try and go further in Europe, with a player who has been present in both the Champions League and the Europa League since 2013/14.

How this benefits Olympiakos and the League Commercially

 

Firstly a marquee signing who is also Greek and still arguable at an age in which he can compete for a first team place is somewhat a rarity for the Super League, with many domestic players returning only when they are seen as more of a seasoned veteran and end up playing a more minor role for their club. This is a statement of intent from Sokratis as he could have signed for a team in a bigger league, or for a side that could offer him a bigger wage package but instead chose to join Olympiakos and make an name for himself back in his home country, win trophies and continue to consistently feature in European competition. 

 

If this transfer works for both the player and the club it shows, Greek players currently playing abroad that there is a place for them back in Greece, should they ever receive the offer to return home. The signing of a player, who is still a big name in European football, also hugely benefits the league in the sense that it also shows higher quality foreign players that this is a league worth competing in raising the profile and reputation of the domestic competition in Greece. With bigger players coming in, this means more revenue for teams in shirt sales, viewership of the league domestically and worldwide. There would also be the hope that it could help return a competitive edge to the teams attempting to compete with other leagues around them who play in UEFA competition and over time return the Greek coefficient to a higher place which would mean more European qualifying places.  

To quickly finish, and to reiterate Olympiakos have made a fantastic move by signing a player at the level of Sokratis. Thrylos now has someone who can man the defence for a good few seasons, until the inevitable decline that hits all players by which time he will either stay at the club in the same role currently occupied by Avraam Papadopoulos, or return to his boyhood club AEK. With all the talk, the hype and photos of him in the red and white shirt now dying down, it's time to get down to business. We have all talked about the Greek International, it's now time for Sokratis to return to Greece and show what he can do on the pitch and help lead this Olympiakos team as well as the Super League on to bigger and better things.

Hellas Football 

Follow @stevekountourou