Olympiacos president Marinakis warned coaches, players, and management staff that everyone must work better after expressing dissatisfaction with recent friendly match performances, including a fixture against NEC. Marinakis previously stated during the presentation of the new Karaiskakis stadium that transfer funds were sufficient if the club made proper moves, warning that failure to improve would bring consequences.
The Piraeus club plans to complete five or six additional transfers regardless of their second leg result against NEC. Olympiacos intends to sign a left back, two central midfielders, at least one striker, and potentially a right back to complete the squad.
Olympiacos Player Departures and Transfers
Olympiacos is also preparing for player departures from its attack, specifically Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi and Ukrainian striker Roman Yaremchuk. Reports in France state Lille wants Taremi, while Lyon is interested in Yaremchuk following his six-month loan spell there last season. Olympiacos management maintains both players will only leave under terms set by the club.
PAOK is seeking a new striker, but the club has ruled out signing Greek forward Fotis Ioannidis from Sporting Lisbon. Coach Lisi prefers a shorter, faster attacker to pair with Mythou or Jeremejeff, while Vieirinha and Matos carry out their assigned duties to finalize the roster.
Greek Refereeing and Pavlidis Future
Hellenic Football Federation president Gagatsis stated at a seminar for Super League referees and assistant referees that domestic officiating was in good condition. The federation and PAOK favor assigning Greek referees to derby matches next season, despite Greek refereeing currently having no international referees and receiving complaints from all clubs last season. Former referee official Lanouat previously estimated Greek referees would need four to five years to return to high-profile derbies.
Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis is not looking to leave Lisbon after a strong start to the new season, according to Portuguese reports. The Greek international will only consider a move to a top European league in England, Italy, Spain, or Germany, ruling out a transfer to Fenerbahce despite substantial financial offers from the Turkish club.
