Roma's Salah-Eddine says yes to Olympiacos | OneFootball

Anass Salah-Eddine of PSV(on loan) in action during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between PSV Eindhoven and SSC Napoli at PSV Stadion on October 21, 2025 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

For much of the past 48 hours, Olympiacos’ negotiations for Anass Salah-Eddine had reached a crucial point.

The club had moved close to an agreement with Roma. The fee had broadly been established. The selling club was prepared to proceed. Yet the player himself remained unconvinced.

Dutch and Italian reports described Salah-Eddine as reluctant to accept the Greek move despite the framework between the clubs. That made his personal decision the final—and potentially decisive—obstacle.

The latest reporting indicates that obstacle has now been removed. Greek sources say Salah-Eddine has given Olympiacos a positive response and is expected to travel to Athens imminently.

The transfer is not official. But it has moved from a club-to-club negotiation awaiting consent to an operation reportedly awaiting travel, examinations and signatures.

Why the player’s approval matters more than the fee update

Olympiacos’ agreement with Roma had already been widely reported. Italian journalist Filippo Biafora described negotiations around €7–8 million, while other transfer reporting suggested a package of €7 million plus €1 million in bonuses.

The difficulty was convincing Salah-Eddine that Greece represented the correct next step after a productive loan season with PSV and Champions League appearances. He reportedly preferred to assess opportunities in stronger Western European leagues. PSV were also said not to be pursuing another return, leaving the player with a choice between waiting for a different market opportunity or accepting Olympiacos’ project.

His reported acceptance changes everything. Olympiacos are no longer trying to persuade the player while Roma wait. They can move toward completion.

A different type of left-back for Mendilibar

Salah-Eddine’s value is not based on traditional defensive full-back qualities alone.

He is comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas and has experience operating higher up the pitch or moving into central midfield zones. His technical background in the Netherlands makes him suited to teams that ask the full-back to participate actively in buildup rather than simply provide width. For Olympiacos, that could create several tactical options.

Supporting buildup against high pressure

When opponents press Olympiacos’ centre-backs, Salah-Eddine can step inside alongside a holding midfielder.

That movement would allow the left winger to remain high and wide while creating an additional central passing option. It could also reduce the burden on Christos Mouzakitis or Santiago Hezze to drop beside the defenders every time Olympiacos face pressure.

Creating overloads around the left half-space

Salah-Eddine can combine with a winger, attacking midfielder and central midfielder in confined areas.

Rather than relying entirely on overlapping runs, he can underlap into the half-space or act as the player who circulates possession before another runner attacks behind the defence.

This may be especially useful against compact domestic opponents who protect the penalty area and invite Olympiacos to cross repeatedly.

Offering formation flexibility

His experience as a wing-back and occasional midfielder gives Mendilibar the possibility of changing structure without substituting.

Olympiacos could move from a back four into a three-plus-two buildup shape, or ask Salah-Eddine to advance aggressively while the opposite full-back remains deeper. That flexibility becomes more valuable during European ties, when adjustments within a match can prevent an opponent from pressing the same structure repeatedly.

The defensive questions remain real

Salah-Eddine is not a risk-free acquisition.

His attacking comfort and positional versatility do not automatically make him a dominant one-versus-one defender. Olympiacos will need to assess how he handles:

Olympiacos’ full-backs are often required to defend large spaces because the team press high and commit numbers forward. The role therefore demands recovery speed, anticipation and reliable coordination with the nearest centre-back.

Salah-Eddine’s recent Champions League experience with PSV should help. He appeared seven times in the competition during the 2025–26 season and accumulated substantial senior minutes across the campaign.

The adaptation question is less about whether he has played at a sufficient level and more about whether his defensive habits fit Mendilibar’s specific demands.

Why the transaction structure matters

There is still disagreement over whether Olympiacos are purchasing Salah-Eddine now or initially borrowing him.

Several Greek reports describe a one-year loan with a purchase option in the €7–8 million range. Other reporting has presented the operation as a permanent transfer worth approximately €7 million plus bonuses.

The difference is strategically significant.

A loan with an option would allow Olympiacos to evaluate Salah-Eddine’s adaptation before committing the full fee. It would lower immediate transfer expenditure and preserve resources for another midfielder or striker.

A permanent deal would provide greater long-term control but commit Olympiacos immediately to a player whose initial preference may have been to remain in another major European league.

Until the official documents are signed, reporting the operation as definitively permanent or definitively a loan would overstate the available evidence.

The broader squad effect

The signing would increase pressure on Olympiacos’ existing left-back options and potentially accelerate an outgoing move.

It also helps separate two different recruitment priorities.

Olympiacos were pursuing Salah-Eddine for the left side while simultaneously working on a dynamic central midfielder. Losing Yacine Titraoui to Lens did not eliminate the need at left-back, and completing Salah-Eddine should not be interpreted as the replacement for that midfield target.

The club must still determine how to add progression and athleticism centrally.

At the same time, the omission of Mehdi Taremi and Roman Yaremchuk from the Champions League qualifier squad to face NEC Nijmegen has intensified the possibility that Olympiacos will seek another striker. The final transfer budget therefore needs to cover several distinct functions rather than one headline acquisition.

A loan arrangement for Salah-Eddine would offer greater flexibility in that wider planning.

A transfer that nearly failed at the final step

The most revealing aspect of this operation is how close it came to collapsing despite agreement between the clubs.

Recruitment is often reported as a negotiation between buyer and seller. Salah-Eddine’s hesitation demonstrated that the player retains the decisive vote.

Olympiacos appear to have responded by continuing discussions rather than abandoning the deal or immediately increasing the financial package beyond reason. The result, according to the latest reports, is a positive answer and imminent travel.

The final judgment must wait for the official announcement.

But the principal barrier is no longer Roma’s valuation. It is no longer Salah-Eddine’s reluctance.

It is now the completion of the transfer itself.