Nikos Machlas: ‘He is a real Ajax striker, but no longer feasible’
Friday, November 24, 2023 at 10:33
Nikos Machlas has words of praise for his compatriot Vangelis Pavlidis. Machlas, who was under contract with Vitesse and Ajax between 1996 and 2002, currently calls the AZ attacker ‘one of the best center forwards in Europe’. The former professional would have liked to see Pavlidis make the switch to Ajax last summer.
“I would have advised Ajax to sign Vangelis Pavlidis before this season, although he would probably have cost quite a bit,” Machlas told Voetbal International.
Machlas, who became the top scorer in Europe at Vitesse more than 25 years ago, describes Vanglidis as ‘a real Ajax striker’. “He is very complete and is now well on his way to becoming the next Greek top scorer in the Eredivisie. That also makes me a little proud.”
Pavlidis scored 22 goals in all competitions last season. This year, especially in the Eredivisie, AZ’s striker has been unmatched: he has already scored fourteen times in eleven league matches. “It could be that he comes close to my number of 34 goals as top scorer (in 1998/99, ed.),” says Machlas.
The former professional believes that Pavlidis is currently one of the best centre-forwards in Europe and wonders whether the attacker can still be retained for AZ in January. “I recently received information that Eintracht Frankfurt wants to sign Pavlidis. I know that John (Van ‘t Schip, ed.) is a fan of Vangelis, but I expect that his future will now lie outside the Eredivisie.”
It hurts Machlas that his former clubs Ajax and Vitesse are currently in crisis. The Amsterdam team is in a disappointing twelfth place, while Vitesse is bottom of the Eredivisie. “I expect Ajax to eventually recover, but I am really worried about Vitesse.”
Finally, Machlas also comments on the current strikers at Ajax. “Brian Brobbey is a talented, physically strong striker, but he is not yet a real killer in the penalty area. I think it is good that John gives him the confidence, because he can certainly still make progress. With Chuba Akpom, who I After his time at PAOK Saloniki, Ajax has an excellent backup for Brobbey.”
2023-11-24 09:33:00
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