English Football’s Greek Revolution
English Football’s Greek Revolution
By Stephen Kountourou
In recent times, there has been an influx of Greek players arriving to compete in one of the oldest football league pyramids in the world.
This is a testament to the quality of players Greece has produced recently, as the majority are currently important members of the Greek national team.
But who are these players, and how important are they for their club? Well, some of the names on this list speak for themselves.
Odysseas Vlachodimos: Nottingham Forest
The German-born 29-year-old arrived at Forrest after a hugely successful five-year spell at Portugues giants Benfica, winning the Primera Liga and the Portuguese Super Cup twice respectively.
He also showed his quality on the European stage, after helping his side reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2022/23.
Vlachodimos arrived at Forest for a fee of £4.2 million which could rise to £8.1 million with add-ons. He had to wait for his chance between the sticks, with Arsenal loanee Matt Turner starting over him until recently.
But after some poor performances from the US international, Vlachodimos was finally given the nod from manager Steve Cooper. After keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win against Aston Villa, the Greek international's patience seems to have been rewarded.
Kostas Tsimikas: Liverpool
It's been a mixed time for the 27-year-old at Anfield. Since arriving from Olympiakos in the summer of 2020 for £11.75 million, Ater struggling with injuries and Covid, which kept him out for large parts of 2020/21, his second season at the Premier League giants was his most successful.
Tsimikas made 26 appearances in all competitions, winning the League Cup and scoring the winning penalty to lift the FA Cup against Chelsea.
The ‘Greek scouser’ cemented himself as a fan favourite with netruals even saying he was capable of starting for almost any other Premier League side.
2022/23 would be a step back for him, with less impact in a Liverpool side that had a difficult campaign and missed out on Champions League football.
But with the 2023/24 season well underway, and with Andrew Robertson out injured, Jürgen Klopp has given Tsimikas the chance to step in as a consistent starter and he has done so, while reminding his naysayers, that he is more than just a bench warmer.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - West Ham United
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In Germany Mavropanos flourished in a side struggling every season to stay in the German topflight, being named in the Bundesliga team of the season twice and making a big impact in keeping Stuttgart in the division during the 2022/23 relegation playoffs.
Since arriving at West Ham, for a fee of approximately £22 million, the 25-year-old has competed with Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd for a starting spot in the first team.
But if he can win the trust of David Moyes, there is no doubt that Mavropanos can grow to be a definitive starter for the Hammers.
George Baldock - Sheffield United
The only player on this list who was born in the UK, and after a long wait for the papers to be processed, George Baldock, became a Greek international, making his debut for the Ethniki in 2022.
Through promotions and relegations to and from the Premier League and numerous managers, the 30-year-old has proven to be an ever-present figure at Sheffield United since 2017.
At the time of writing, Baldock made 212 appearances for the Blades in all competitions. While he struggled with injury at the start of the 2023/24 season, the right-back is one of the vital cogs in Paul Heckingbottom's team, should they have any hope of beating the drop back down to the Championship this season.
Dimitris Giannoulis - Norwich City
Moving down to the Championship, Dimitris Giannoulis has now been with Norwich City for nearly three years, as the Canaries attempt to make a bid to return to the promised land of the Premier League.
After joining from PAOK in January 2021 initially on loan, and was made permanent once Norwich won promotion back to the Premier League, the left-back has been the consistent starter for them ever since.
Despite a tough campaign where Norwich failed to win promotion back to the Premier League last season, Giannoulis looked close to leaving the East Anglian side last summer.
But the 28-year-old decided to stay with the Canaries in the second division of English football and fight to regain promotion, despite a poor start to the season by their standards.
Dimitris Goutas - Cardiff City
The first of the Greek duo that signed for the Welsh side, Dimitris Goutas joined the Blue Birds from Turkish side Sivasspor on a free transfer.
Goutas has been a mainstay in Cardiff's backline during the first quarter of the season, making 16 appearances and even scoring, once in a 3-2 win over Coventry City and again in a 0-4 thrashing of Huddersfield Town.
Standing at 6 ft 4, the 29-year-old is a perfect defender in the physically demanding Championship for the Welsh side who currently sit in 9th place, just two points of the playoffs. Goutas is more than justifying his call up to the Ethniki based on his current form.
Manolis Siopis - Cardiff City
Much like his compatriot, Manolis Siopis is enjoying a solid season in the Welsh capital. The midfielder joined Cardiff from Trabzonspor after the Turkish side terminated his contract.
Since then Siopis has made 14 appearances for the Blue Birds, only failing to play a full 90 minutes on three occasions for far this season.
He has even become a bit of a fan favourite amongst Cardiff supporters for his hard work and bulldog-like playstyle, which fans of the Ethniki have become accustomed to.
Siopis, much like Goutas justifies his call up to Greece with his club form, and continues to be an important part of the midfield three, whether he starts, or comes off the bench as an impact substitute.
@SteveKountourou
Hellas Football
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