It must have been a bitter pill to swallow for Fulham when their $20 million dollar signing ended up on the bench.
Bad luck and bad timing meant that Kostas Mitroglou couldn’t show his worth, riddled with injuries. The problem must have been hard to overcome for the English second tier club, showing their bitterness this week by selling the player back to his former club on loan.
Olympiakos welcomed him back with open arms this week, happy to have the World Cup striker back on home soil.
The Reds allegedly had to part with $4.4 million to get the player back, a fraction of what Fulham paid to get him from the Super League club.
Mitroglou comes to Olympiakos at a crucial time. He will be integral to the club’s Champions League campaign while keeping the Reds alive in the Super League hoping for another title.
The club also signed Luka Milivojevic on loan from Belgian outfit Anderlecht and Kostas Giannoulis this week to supplement their team.
The signings come as star striker Javier Saviola secured a move to Serie A outfit Verona.
Former Argentina international thanked Olympiakos for the “beautiful moments” during his season-long stint.
“I would like to thank my teammates for the time we enjoyed together while I was at Olympiakos – a place where the fans show you so much love,” Saviola told Olympiakos’ website.
“I am grateful to the president and the administration for the fact that I was able to enjoy so many beautiful moments at Olympiakos,” added the former Barcelona and Real Madrid forward.
Olympiakos released a statement saying the club had ended the contract of the 32-year-old by mutual consent, allowing him to depart late on the transfer deadline day.
Saviola, who was capped 40 times by his country, played a key role in Olympiakos’ title win last term after scoring 12 times in 26 appearances.
The club also lost Greek international central defender Avraam Papadopoulos to Trabzonspor, as well as Malian international midfielder Sambou Yatabare, who was sent on loan to French Ligue 1 side Guingamp.
Papadopoulos fired a parting shot at Olympiakos manager Michel, putting the blame on the Spaniard for his departure from the Greek champion.
“If you love me, let me go,” Papadopoulos reportedly told Olympiakos owner Vangelis Marinakis, as the central defender’s rift with Michel had made his position at Olympiakos untenable. The Greek international had lost his place to Alberto Botia, whom Michel brought in last month from Spain.
In a statement that Papadopoulos released upon his departure, he said that his coach (whom he carefully avoided to name) had trusted him: “I have decided to depart from the club as I never had the esteem and the confidence of the current manager,” said Papadopoulos in the statement uploaded at the official Olympiakos website.
“It therefore came to the point where cohabitation with him had become impossible,” added Australian-born Papadopoulos.
Source: Reuters, ekathimerini