[Officiel] Mitroglou takes his money, direction Salonika

On his arrival on the Canebière at the very end of the 2017 summer transfer window, Mitroglou arrives to put on, in theory, the “grantatakan” costume promised by the Marseille management. From his recruitment to his departure, nothing went as planned. Decryption of a flop.

The “grantatakan”?

When he signed on August 31, 2017 from Benfica Lisbon, he came to the end of a transfer window where Marseille’s expectations had been pushed to their paroxysm. With an evoked budget of 40 to 60 million euros, the supporters dream of very big European names!
However, this will not really be the case since it is the former benfiqista who sets down his suitcases in the Old Port at 11:52 pm. Second-choice target behind Vincent Aboubakar, Vincent Janssen, Stefan Jovetic, Bas dost or Sebastien Haller. The Olympique de Marseille therefore succumbed to the famous panic buy.

Study of a failure

Promising preamble

As soon as he arrived, things started badly since he arrived injured. However, the fans as a whole are quite happy with the arrival of the one who comes out of a 27-goal season with Benfica Lisbon.

Are you satisfied with the signing of Konstantínos # Mítroglou to the#IF ? #TeamOM #MercatOM

– Fabien (@ Beye13) August 31, 2017

Indeed, Mitroglou seems to be a pretty sure goal guarantee. Proof of this, since the 2011/2012 season, he has always scored at least 19 goals per season. With a clear progression since his arrival at Benfica Lisbon where he scored 25 goals in his first season in 2015/2016. He finished with 27 goals in his second and final season with the residents of Estadio Da Luz. Which earned him, at that time, the nickname “Mitrogooolos”.

First shadows

However, all is not so idyllic. Indeed, the Greek international injured his knee with a rupture of the cruciate ligaments in November 2013, which earned him an unavailability of five months. As a result, it is renowned in Europe as being fragile at the knees.
In addition, he arrives injured at OM, which is a concern during the medical examination and does not allow him to settle directly in the eleven holder.

Bad profile?

His arrival allows OM to have a scorer recognized in Europe, but also poses a concern for profile. Indeed, if he and Valere Germain have complementary profiles, Rudi Garcia hardly ever played in a two-tip gaming system, with Mitroglou peak and Germain turning him around.
Or, au Benfica, Mitroglou was evolving in an offensive 3-5-2, with intensive pressing, and a nine and a half, Jonas, which revolved around him. This has never been the case at OM. The Olympian club has therefore recruited a goalscorer who does not have the profile to play in the preferred system of Rudi Garcia : the 4-2-3-1.

Substitute for his replacement

When he’s recovered from his injury, Rudi Garcia installs him as a starting goalscorer. For seven matches. And, if the debut was interesting with a goal for his first game, he was more discreet thereafter, scoring only one goal in Ligue 1 and one goal in the Coupe de la Ligue. This shortage will last until February 2018.
Germain and N’jie therefore replace him, logically, as holders, and Kostas thus enters the rotation, thus being satisfied with game ends and Cup matches, where he is much more decisive, in particular by registering a hat-trick against Bourg-en-Bresse.

In the following season, the failed transfer Mitroglou is confirmed. From the summer transfer window, he is asked to find a way out. Without success, mainly because of his imposing salary and his repeated physical problems. He will score a total of three small goals in six months.

Turkish adventure

After a first part of the 2018/2019 season marked by his two shameful failures against Dijon on the 13th day, and by his goal unfairly refused against the Parisians, he left the Phocéens on loan for the Turks of Galatasaray. And if the beginnings are rather promising, with in particular a goal at the very end of the match to offer victory to the Stambouliotes, it is not effective, and has several physical problems. He scores his second and last goal against Malatyaspor in the Turkish Cup. At the end of this inconclusive loan, he returned to the Canebière.

Batavian stay

After his failed Turkish experience, the native of Kavala fled to the Netherlands, more precisely to PSV Eindhoven. There again, he made a thunderous debut with a goal scored from the heel, which definitively qualifies the Dutch in the Europa League.
Subsequently, it is once again too inefficient, and is only used when leaving the bench. He has scored a total of three goals this season: one in the Europa League qualifiers, one in the Dutch Cup and the last in the league. At the end of a new inconclusive loan, he returned to Phocée in the summer of 2020.

Outside the group

On his return to the Canebière, the Greek talks with Luis André to Pina Cabral and Villas-Boas who tells him that he is not counting on him and that he is therefore asked to find a way out. Nevertheless, some suitors (FC Nantes among others) come forward but are quickly cooled by the excessive salary of the ex-Stambouliote which amounts to 330K per month. As a result, “lofted” so to speak, he trained alone before being reinstated for legal reasons.

Epilogue

Salonika for oasis

Currently, Kostas has not played for six months, and his reinstatement is impossible, as repeatedly stated André Villas-Boas. In addition, the arrival of Belong Removes any hope of any minutes of play with the Olympians.

Which club would be interested in him? The question seems difficult. However, in recent days, a rumor was circulating. Aris Salonika seemed interested in the now 32-year-old.

On January 21, contacts were indeed revealed.

????Kostas Mitroglou would be in advanced discussions with Aris Salonika ????????. He would seek common ground to terminate his contract with OM to go free. (Sportime)#TeamOM #MercatOM pic.twitter.com/TjPBc9owFk

– Mercat’OM (@mercat_om) January 21, 2021

Then, these contacts are confirmed by one of his ex-teammates.

Andreas Tatos, player of Xanthi (Superleague 2), indicated on Metropolis 95.5 radio that he was in contact with Kostas Mitroglou (they played together at Atromitos), and that the striker of the#IF had an “80% chance” of signing for Aris, as mentioned in recent days. pic.twitter.com/Su5k0ayLb7

– Greek Football France (@footgrec) January 21, 2021

The next day, it is revealed that an agreement to terminate his contract with OM was found. With this agreement, he should take some of his due and then fly to better horizons.

???? SDNA indicates this morning that Kostas Mitroglou has reached an agreement to terminate his contract with OM, and that he will sign for a year and a half with Aris. pic.twitter.com/uUmkruOD0V

– Greek Football France (@footgrec) January 22, 2021

Finally, on January 23, theAris Salonika formalize the deal.

Thus, OM is relieving itself of a cumbersome salary, with a view to a possible extension of Thauvin or just a reduction in the wage bill. Longoria is on the way to pull off the feat that Zubizarreta failed to achieve: significantly improving the squad while getting rid of unwanted people. Let us now wish the Greek good luck in his new adventures.

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