Celtic's Greece transfer options: Adventurous centre-back and explosive, versatile attacker

Despite the underperformance from the national team in recent years, the top domestic division still manages to produce players who prove to be surprise bargains and provide good value for clubs in Europe’s best leagues.

In that case Ange Postecoglou might find some valuable players from the Greek Super League that can come into Celtic - whether as a starter or as a bench player.

Here, we will focus on three such players...

Konstantinos Tzolakis (Olympiakos)

Nationality: Greek; Age: 19; Position: Goalkeeper; Preferred foot: Right; Height: 6ft 4in; TransferMarkt value: £1.08million

Celtic might be in search of a long-term goalkeeper despite having the ever-reliable Joe Hart for the immediate future. Tzolakis of Olympiakos is a very young and raw player but has the potential to be the number one for a top-tier European club.

He has recorded 834 minutes for the Greek club so far, despite playing most of the season for Olympiakos B in the Super League 2.

The youngster has a contract until the end of 2024 and he should be looked at for one more season before pouncing. Due to the small sample size in the top division, we do not have an accurate data profile for the player, however, we will look at some of his key strengths and weaknesses. One of Tzolakis’ main strengths is that he isn’t afraid to come off his line and deal with aerial balls.

Not only does he come off his line for long and aerial balls but is also comfortable sweeping. What is critical here is that he times it well and comes off his line early enough when he senses an opportunity to clean house before the opposition player reaches the end of a through ball or a loose pass.

Although Tzolakis looks like he is in command of the backline at times, his communication still needs work as an occasional lack of communication has caused issues for his team. The sample size at the top level is small but, in Super League 2, he has been seen being on the end of such situations.

He does not mind releasing the ball quickly with his throws being strong. However, his kicks are often wayward and this even applies to his general distribution, which needs a good amount of work. That said, he has shown signs that he can be the kind of a keeper who can contribute to buildups from the back but needs work.

In addition, his punches are strong and he tries to catch most shots. This, however, leads to him parrying some shots into dangerous areas when he doesn’t catch them. While facing long shots, he is very much positioned towards the centre, giving himself an opportunity to deal with shots on either side. But with angled shots, his positioning can sometimes look clumsy - albeit that is something he has been working on and is improving.

Overall, Tzolakis is a young and raw keeper who so far has not garnered quite enough minutes in the top division. Despite that, Celtic would be smart in tracking him for another season and potentially try to get him next summer if he progresses as expected.

Giannis Michailidis (PAOK)

Nationality: Greek; Age: 22; Position: Centre-back; Preferred foot: Left; Height: 6ft 2in; TransferMarkt Value: £3.6million

With Cameron Carter-Vickers nearing a permanent switch, a partner who is naturally left-footed and good on the ball will boost Celtic’s defence even further. Michailidis could be a potential candidate for that position considering that he is one of the best centre-backs in Greece.

Michailidis made his international debut in 2020 and has two appearances for the Greek national team. He is currently out with a cruciate ligament injury and it remains to be seen how he will come back but he should be a potential option on Celtic’s shortlist for the future. He plays as a left centre-back and generally likes to pass the ball around which is a must for the Hoops.

The 22-year-old is a high-volume passer with a high ranking in progressive passing too. This method is also his main way of progression rather than carrying the ball. When given time and space, he has the ability to pick out dangerous passes from deep. As seen in the visualisation above, he averages around 11 long pass attempts per 90 - which is huge - and this is one of his main routes of breaking through the opposition.

As a natural consequence of this, the Greek centre-back is comfortable switching play but also in playing diagonals that move the ball into the next phase of build-up. One of his trademark moves is the long balls over the left side channel, where he carries the ball into the midfield third and puts a ball over the opposition line into space for a winger or the full-back.

On the defensive side, Michailidis is not a high-volume dueller but is physically well-built and doesn’t get outmuscled easily. He is also a proactive defender who goes for the tackle when he sees an opportunity. With that being said, he is also good in one-v-one situations where he doesn’t simply commit but waits for the moment to pounce. If the opposition player gets the better of him, he tends to commit a foul.

In terms of athleticism, he is not the fastest of centre-backs but possesses decent recovery pace. The cruciate ligament rupture came at a bad time and it remains to be seen if he can pick up the same pace on his return.

Finally, the 22-year-old is also good at positioning well and cutting out any passes or crosses into space. His awareness is fairly good and he looks to clear the threat before the opposition move turns into an opportunity where possible.

With all that being said, the seriousness of his injury means he might have to stay in Greece longer than expected now but with his potential a move is definitely on the cards when he returns. He is very much the kind of player that Postecoglou would love to have partnering Carter-Vickers.

Juan José Perea (PAS Giannia)

Nationality: Colombian; Age: 23; Position: Forward; Preferred foot: Right; TransferMarkt Value: £720,000

Juan Perea is an interesting name and is a player who is also versatile up front. Although he is primarily a centre forward he drifts wide, mainly to the right, and has also played on both flanks. With 10 goals and two assists in a total of 3,021 minutes this season he enjoyed his best-ever season in Greece in what was his third year.

He wins around 3.44 fouls per 90 - which is remarkably high for an attacker - and this is down to his quickness and agility. He has good acceleration and an excellent turn of pace which helps him beat opposition players easily. He drops deep or wide to receive and runs at players as a result. Combined with this, another standout feature of his game is dribbling and he completes around 2.3 dribbles per 90 minutes.

As mentioned earlier, he wins a lot of fouls for his team and crucially these are often in dangerous areas too. That said, he tends to go down easily which could be an issue in a more physical league.

In addition, he has a tendency to keep the ball even when there are better passing options available as part of a habit of trying to make things happen by himself. That would need ironing out at Celtic.

However, his biggest strength remains receiving the ball with his back to goal. Whether it be in midfield or the attacking third, he has the ability to turn quickly before accelerating away. This is a major asset and is especially incisive during counter-attacks.