ROMAN YAREMCHUK REACTIVATED BY OLYMPIACOS | OneFootball

Roman Yaremchuk of Olympiacos applauds the fans following the team's defeat during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between FC Barcelona and Olympiacos FC at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on October 21, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

The important word here is not “return.” It is reactivation. Roman Yaremchuk never stopped being an Olympiacos player. He remained under contract and continued training. But functionally, he had disappeared from José Luis Mendilibar’s competitive plans.

When Olympiacos travelled to Volos for Saturday’s league game, the Ukrainian was absent from the squad alongside Clayton. Contemporary reporting explicitly stated that neither forward was in Mendilibar’s plans.

Then Ayoub El Kaabi suffered his devastating injury.

Less than 72 hours later, Yaremchuk is back. That tells us more than any transfer rumor could.

Mendilibar has actually acted

Yesterday we were dealing with reports that Olympiacos were considering bringing Yaremchuk back into the picture. Today there is evidence. He has been selected for a competitive match. That is the first meaningful threshold.

It does not guarantee he starts. It does not even guarantee he plays. But coaches do not normally reintegrate a player they have effectively frozen out unless circumstances—or their evaluation—have changed.

In Olympiacos’ case, circumstances have changed dramatically. El Kaabi is unavailable for months.

Armando González cannot reasonably be expected to absorb every center-forward minute across three competitions.

Jota Silva can operate centrally, but he is not naturally the same type of reference striker.

And finding an external forward capable of immediately satisfying Mendilibar at this stage of the market is difficult.

Yaremchuk therefore suddenly becomes extremely practical.

The Cup match is almost the ideal test

Tuesday’s match against Volos offers Mendilibar a relatively controlled environment in which to evaluate the Ukrainian again. Olympiacos are at home. Rotation is expected. And unlike a Europa League opener, the Cup provides room to experiment without immediately making Yaremchuk responsible for replacing El Kaabi on the biggest stage.

If he receives significant minutes, there are several things worth watching. First, his physical condition.

Yaremchuk has trained but has not been playing competitive football regularly. Second, his pressing.

Mendilibar demands enormous work from the No. 9 without the ball. That was always one reason El Kaabi became so indispensable: his goals were only part of his value. Third, his relationship with Olympiacos’ attacking midfielders. Yaremchuk is a different forward from El Kaabi.

He offers more size and traditional center-forward presence, but less of El Kaabi’s relentless movement into channels and behind the defensive line. That means players such as Chiquinho, Gelson Martins, Jota and Leon Bailey may have to attack space differently around him.

The UEFA decision becomes more complicated, not less

There is another important distinction. Being restored to the domestic squad does not automatically mean Yaremchuk will take El Kaabi’s Europa League place. Reporting Monday morning showed genuine debate around the issue.

Candidates mentioned for the permitted injury replacement have included Yaremchuk, Clayton and potentially even a player at another position depending on how Mendilibar intends to restructure the squad. An 11:55 EEST report from Olympiacos correspondent Antonis Stamatelos actually suggested Joel Roca could be favored for the UEFA vacancy, partly because Olympiacos have other ways to cover center-forward domestically.

That distinction will be important because several outlets are already naturally connecting the two.

González should not disappear from the equation

Reactivating Yaremchuk should not mean abandoning Armando González. Quite the opposite.

It could provide exactly the protection González needs. Without another senior striker, every poor González performance would immediately be framed through comparison with El Kaabi. That is an impossible burden for a young forward.

With Yaremchuk available, Mendilibar can distribute minutes based on opponent, form and tactical requirement.

González can develop. Yaremchuk can absorb some of the physical workload. And Olympiacos can continue scanning the market without negotiating from desperation. That is a substantially stronger position than the club occupied on Saturday night.

And this could change Yaremchuk’s own future

There is irony here. Hours before his return was announced, fresh reporting said Yaremchuk had rejected possible destinations and that his future was consequently being reconsidered. Until El Kaabi’s injury, that might have created frustration.

Now it could prove fortuitous. Had Yaremchuk already completed a move elsewhere, Olympiacos would currently possess considerably fewer options. Football has changed his status in a single weekend: surplus → transfer candidate → emergency depth → active squad member.

The next question is whether he can turn that emergency opportunity into something more permanent.