Olympiacos Prioritizes Toulouse's Casseres Over Racing's Puerta | OneFootball

Recruitment departments build rankings. Transfer windows rarely allow them to execute those rankings cleanly.

Sometimes the decisive difference between two highly rated players is simply:

SPORT24 now reports that Cristian Cásseres Jr is closer to Olympiacos than Gustavo Puerta, largely because Toulouse appear to have a reachable price while Racing Santander continue to resist selling the Colombian.

It may actually align perfectly with what Mendilibar needs.

Cásseres gives Olympiacos a different midfielder from Freuler

This is essential.

Freuler provides positioning and control.

Cásseres brings athletic range.

He can cover ground.

Compete defensively.

Carry through pressure.

And protect transitions.

Put those two profiles into the same midfield rotation and the reconstruction begins to look far more balanced.

Freuler is not expected to run across the entire pitch at 34.

NEC made the need obvious

Olympiacos’ greatest structural problem against NEC was what happened after the first pressure was bypassed.

Space opened.

Full-backs were advanced.

The midfield could not always recover quickly enough.

Cásseres’ profile directly addresses that issue.

That does not mean he automatically fixes it; defensive transition remains a collective responsibility.

But he gives Mendilibar another player physically suited to those moments.

€10m is substantial, but the contract situation creates leverage

Olympiacos have reportedly gone to €9m plus €2m in bonuses.

Toulouse still have not accepted.

Yet French-side information, according to SPORT24, suggests roughly €10m fixed could finish the transaction.

If the player himself is pressing to leave, the seller eventually has to decide whether the marginal difference is worth continuing the standoff.

Olympiacos are clearly close enough to test that decision.

Puerta may ultimately be the victim of Racing’s refusal rather than Olympiacos preferring Cásseres outright

This distinction matters.

Puerta reportedly wants Olympiacos too.

But Racing want to keep him for at least another season.

A player can fit perfectly and still be a poor transfer target if the selling club has no realistic incentive to transact.

That is where Cásseres gains the advantage.

Toulouse have a price.

Olympiacos are approaching it.

The player wants the move.

Those ingredients make a deal executable.

Freuler + Cásseres would dramatically change Mendilibar’s options

Imagine the combinations:

Hezze + Freuler: aggression and control.

Cásseres + Freuler: range and experience.

Hezze + Cásseres: maximum intensity.

That is a real midfield rotation.

Not simply four versions of the same player.

And Scipioni’s possible exit becomes easier to understand

If Cásseres joins on top of Freuler, somebody needs minutes elsewhere.

That reinforces SPORT24’s separate report that Scipioni is currently the likeliest midfielder to be moved out.

For Olympiacos, the challenge is ensuring that short-term strengthening does not destroy long-term player development.

For Mendilibar, the challenge is simpler:

build a midfield capable of controlling European matches immediately.

Right now, Cásseres appears increasingly likely to be part of that solution.