January transfers. The business of The Big 4.
AEK
The Enosi are well-placed in the League for a title push, still in with a chance for Cup glory and are also in the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League with two massive games coming up against Dynamo Kiev. Consequently, they always needed to strengthen in January, however, their situation became much more complicated due to the serious injuries suffered by key players Jakub Johansson and Petros Mantalos.
Bolstering the midfield now had to be the primary aim, so the club signed Iranian Shojaei Masoud from Panionios and Erik Moran from Leganes. Veteran Masoud (signed for free as his previous contract was mutually terminated) has already hit the ground running, providing two assists in his first few games. It is hoped he can pass on his experience to the squad. Moran was signed for a fee of 130,000 Euro for three and a half seasons. At 26, it can be assumed his best years are approaching.
Swede Niklas Hult also signed on Deadline Day from Panathinaikos for 200,000 Euro on a two-and-a-half-year deal. The left back is no unknown in Greece as he played several good games for Panathinaikos, however, like all signings, time will tell if he will be a significant upgrade to AEK’s defensive stocks.
The club probably would have liked to add a forward as Sergio Araujo has struggled for goals this term and Marko Livaja is not an out and out striker, especially as they have big games coming up in the second half of the season. Giannis Anestis still remains even though he was linked with a move abroad following a falling out during contract negotiations.
In terms of departures it was relatively quiet, as fringe players Vinicius and Patito Rodriguez were allowed to pursue other opportunities.
OLYMPIAKOS
The Reds find themselves in unfamiliar territory as a title race is well and truly alive and they are not participating in European knockout stages. A failed UEFA Champions League campaign makes winning the League even more important. With the pressure on, the Reds were able to lure former fan favourite Kevin Mirallas back from Everton on loan. The Belgian is not the player he used to be but should still be a top addition and can possibly be seen as the best signing of the transfer window. Big things are expected moving forward.
Additionally, young Croatian goalkeeper Ivica Ivusic was signed on a free transfer from Istra 1961. Between the sticks has been a problem position for some time, with no one being able to cement their place in the team and providing a consistently safe pair of hands. It is doubtful whether Ivusic is able to jump straight into the first team for now.
Iranian Ehsan Hajsafi was signed for 500,000 Euro from Panionios to play with countryman Karim Ansarifard and provide versatility. Young Brazilian Igor Silva was also signed from Asteras Tripolis and looks to be one for the future. New manager Oscar Garcia was linked with numerous players, particularly from former club St.Etienne (most notably Jonathan Bamba), but no moves were completed. Former player Vasilis Torosidis was linked but nothing came of it.
Perhaps the most pressing concern for the club this transfer window was to knock off a bit of the wage bill by unloading players that are deemed to be surplus to requirements. Jagos Vukovic was loaned out to Hellas Verona and made an instant impact by scoring on his debut. Ben Nabouhane was released to Red Star Belgrade. Sasa Zdjelar was loaned out to Partizan Belgrade. Tarik Elyounoussi was allowed to join AIK Stockholm. Mehdi Carcela ended his loan spell to join Standard Liege. Diogo Figueiras returned to his native Portugal to join Braga. Striker Emmanuel Emenike failed to live up to the hype and has moved to Las Palmas on loan, capping off a long list of exits.
PANATHINAIKOS
The situation at Panathinaikos is extremely different compared to their rivals, the Greens are no chance of winning the League and out of the Cup. Even a late push for a European spot looks improbable. This is mostly due to the severe economic issues the club faces off the pitch. Giannis Alafouzos no longer supports the club financially and the budget is down to a tiny 5 million Euro.
Whilst the top priority was to move on high wage earners who failed to contribute on the field and sell their best players to raise some funds, the Greens were still able to make three notable signings during the transfer window. Vangelis Oikonomou joined on a free transfer after being released by Panionios. The move was a no brainer as he will bring much needed experience to a young side and he has worked with Marinos Ouzounidis in the past. PAOK duo Giannis Mystakidis and Ergys Kace both joined on loan on Deadline Day, with the club having an option to sign the latter permanently in the summer. Mystakidis will have a point to prove after a serious injury curtailed his progress last season. He is not the out and out striker the Greens craved, but he should still make many positive contributions in the final third and he does know how to find the back of the net. Other than that, Ouzounidis is forced to rely on players from the youth teams (who have been dominating their respective leagues).
Another major boost for Ouzounidis was keeping skipper Dimitris Kourbelis amid interest from several clubs across Europe (most notably Sampdoria) and PAOK. The player opted against a move to rivals PAOK so he will see out the season at Panathinaikos, with the Italians heavily favoured to sign him for next season. The club would be asking for 2 million Euro.
Many teams have been attempting to lowball the Greens into selling their best players on the cheap, however, desperate times call for desperate measures. Lucas Villafanez was sold to Alanyaspor for a bargain 1.2 million Euro for instance. Hult moved to AEK as previously mentioned. Rodrigo Moledo joined Internacional with immediate effect (a massive blow as he was considered to be the best defender in the League). Nuno Reis moved to Israel on a free, whilst Oscar Hiljemark, Yacouba Sylla and Bryan Cabezas prematurely ended their loan spells to return to their parent clubs.
Huracan also came out of nowhere to pay for 50% of flop striker Andres Chavez’s rights (the full amount owned by Panathinaikos) which was 1.3 million Euro. This can also be seen as a major boost as it contributes towards paying the debt off and it is money many thought the club would not get.
PAOK
The Thessaloniki based club find themselves in a great position in the League standings and their long-suffering fans will be hoping the 33 year wait for a League title will end at the end of this season. They are not in Europe so have one less distraction compared to AEK and many believe they have the best squad in Greece in terms of depth.
It was all about quality over quantity this window, and the first winter signing for the Aspromavri was Brazilian fullback Marcio Azevedo on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk. They were also linked with Ukrainian international Yevhen Khacheridi but no move eventuated. Deadline Day proved to be busy as the club announced the signings of Bosnian talent Marko Mihojevic for 275,000 Euro and Frenchman Thibault Moulin for 1.3 million Euro from Legia Warsaw. The latter was signed to bolster the midfield as the club missed out on Dimitris Kourbelis who was the top priority.
Gojko Cimirot was one of the few major departures, signing with Standard Liege late in the window for 2.5 million Euro. It was this sale that prompted the pursuit of a midfielder. Furthermore, out of favour players Dimitris Konstantinidis, Giannis Mystakidis and Ergys Kace were all allowed to leave on loan on Deadline Day in a bid to get more first team football. Konstantinidis joined Brescia, whereas the other two joined Panathinaikos and already made their respective debuts for the Greens last weekend.
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