OSFP7

I didn't realize Fetfatzidis (Fetfa) was on the menu as well. I have to say I'm surprised. IMO he's in no way ready for EPL and honestly never will be. Not because of his potential, but because players like him are better suited for the Primera and Serie A. Diminutive and agile, with great technique, dribbling skills and passing ability (short balls and ground game - NOT long high balls) vision, but does not have explosiveness, speed, shot power and strength (although he's worked on it and has gotten better - doesn't get knocked around as much). The problem with this kid (not just him, but any other greek kid with apparent super talent and potential) is that the greek sports (rubish) media (which are ridiculously extensive - over 150 sports tabloids and websites for a 9 million person nation), by virtue of a 5 minute appearance and one nutmeg (dribble) ala Zidane "baptize" him as the NEXT "greek Mesi", the "greek Maradona", the "greek this and that", and as a result either a) overinflate a young man's head so that he believes he is the shit or b.) put enormous pressure on a fragile young man's confidence that he must live up to those expectations/headlines. As it stands right now with Ioannis/Yiannis/Giannis/John (yes, same name) he is a diamond in the rough, but HE needs to put in a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT of work to achieve his potential. He is not even a starter at Olympiacos. He appears not to be able to shoulder the hype. It is crushing him. A few glimpses of WOW and then he vanishes. He needs to work on his game. Practice, practice, practice. Kevin did it on his own for 2 hours before practice, he needs to do it for 4 hours. He can fix, strength, he can fix shot power, he can improve speed, but I don't know how he can fix sustained explosiveness. You are either born with that or you are not. However, you can disguise it with another attribute. Positional awareness and creating open space for yourself. Like I said. A lot of work. Not to mention that at Olympiacos there are NO coaches that work on player skill and game improvement. You need to have what the coaches (who have tremendous pressure on them to win every game by a 5-0 margin)need or you sit on the bench and get few chances. Players (especially young ones) have to fend for the themselves and hope a skilled veteran on the team takes them under their wing and "mentors" them. The "cut" from the Napoli friendly was not a potential transfer protection move it was a freakin wake up call by the coach. In closing I will mention that he plays both wings, more effectively on the "opposite" foot as he cuts inside, but in my opinion (and disappointment that Olympiacos have not tried to play him there) he would be a fantastic AMC. PS. I ain't no freakin Toffee Lady

Greetings to All: Well, it would seem that this deal will actually come through since he made it over there for the medical. We've (Olympiacos fans) been wondering if/when the deal would be sealed or if Everton was used as a ploy to get Arsenal to swoop in and snatch him. I guess that, although a better fit at Arsenal (stylistically) he needs to approach this a step at a time, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, he aint in Kansas anymore. (Yes. Kansas being the Greek League) By the way, I read a few pages back in a posted link his scouting report. ( Toffee Scouting I believe). It's pretty much on the money. I quiet and disenchanted pup he was when he arrived a few years back (on loan) in Pireus. We didn't know what to expect exactly. We could see the quality from the pre-season friendlies but were not sure if it would blossom and fit into the "mold" and overall team "culture" of Olympiacos (to be victorious and play with pride). The kid worked extremely hard, often going to practice 2 hours earlier than anyone else practicing and honing his skills, and then staying an extra hour after practice. On his own - no coaches working on him. Eventually he gained confidence and took the starter's jersey home with him, becoming the fan favorite as he displayed excitement and finesse that the crowd loved to look for and get excited about. We knew he would "move on" to greener pastures eventually (he deserves to) so although we are bothered by it, it didn't come as a surprise. Kevin (who played mostly left wing, then center forward and the least at right wing in a 4-2-3-1. The coach Valverde liked having reverse footed wingers who would cut in and create havoc, as well as swap sides during the game), was better at left wing than at the right. He was also good at CF but the stock of defenders in the EPL is sliiiiightly different than that in the GR League. All in all, my take is, that with players like Kevin (their skillset) the determining factor to make or break it in the EPL is to "steal" the confidence of his opponents before they "steal" his. If he takes on the defenders with confidence and twists them around they will fear him. If he hesitates and they "rock him" a few times he will lose his confidence and be reluctant to push the throttle. Hope this shed some light on the impeding aquisition and best of luck this season.