Joining Newcastle United this summer was ‘clearly a mistake’ for goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who had plenty of other offers on the table.
That’s according to commentator Christos Sotirakopoulos, who has commented on the Greek goalkeeper to Kicker.
The 30-year-old’s move to Newcastle was one of the more eyebrow raising deals this summer, joining the Magpies in a €23.6m deal from Nottingham Forest.
Most viewed the move as a deal between both clubs to help with their PSR and Financial Fair Play issues, particularly when Elliot Anderson ending up swapping Newcastle for Nottingham Forest in a similarly priced deal.
That is clearly now what he was hoping for having left Forest in search of regular playing time elsewhere after making just seven appearances for them following a move in September last year.
It’s a deal that simply hasn’t made sense for him or Newcastle and Sotirakopoulos echoes that, insisting the goalkeeper had other options.
“Clearly a mistake. He could have moved to Germany, Spain or Italy – in that order. There were enough offers,” he said.
“At Benfica he was between the posts for a top team for five years. In Germany, for example, he knows the country, the people and the circumstances. Even if he had played at Nottingham.
“This is a team that often comes under pressure and defensive order can quickly be lost as a result. I don’t know the circumstances of the expensive move to Newcastle well enough.”
