Fotis Ioannidis likened to Sporting striker with 97 goals | OneFootball

Fotis Ioannidis was a prominent topic in the national press. The newspaper A Bola spoke with Giannis Goumas, former coach of the Hellenic striker and a Panathinaikos legend, who compared him to Viktor Gyokeres, the Swedish player who left Sporting for Arsenal this summer.

"When I first called him up to the U-19s he was still at a smaller club, Levadiakos. I was very impressed. Strong in duels, he could hold the ball under suffocating pressure, could create space for his teammates and most importantly for a forward... he scored with ease," began the man who also coached the youth ranks of the Greek national team.

Goumas continued: "I have a personal relationship with Fotis and we talk whenever the opportunity arises. He wanted to take that step to Sporting since last year, but Panathinaikos didn’t let him leave. Because he was the captain, the best player, and he made the difference. I’m sure he is absolutely happy with this choice and in a short time he will become influential at Sporting."

"He was captain, one of the fan favorites; his departure saddened the supporters and brought uncertainty about whether the void would be filled. Everyone dreams that at some point he might return (...) On the pitch it was his sharpness, leadership qualities and talent; off it, his personality and character stood out," he then explained about the Sporting player — who is about to receive good news at Alvalade.

To conclude, he didn’t forget the former green-and-white center forward: "What he needs to improve is that as a center forward, he needs to be more inside the opponent’s box and ready to shoot, not waste energy outside the area so that his mind is clear to finish the play in the ideal way. He needs to moderate that (...) The Swedish player is one of the best forwards in the world today, but I think Fotis will replace him with dignity and will become a slogan on the lips of Sporting fans. He will make the fans forget Gyokeres quickly. I’m sure of it."

Check out Fotis Ioannidis’ presentation video here:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.