The Young and the Restless

There is no relation to the hit American soap opera, but instead another episode of a ’so far’ unsuccessful bid to bring a striker to Piraeus. Young refers to the transfer target: Diogo Santo; while restless pays dividends to the sleep-deprived Olympiacos supporters. Back-and-forth negotiation has seen club end up log-jammed with Brazilian club Portuguesa. Simply known as Diogo, he is the next big thing from Brazil; and both clubs are quite aware of the talent they are dealing with. Attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Benfica, and Fiorentina; the 21-year old has been the subject of a mid-summer soap opera.

Olympiacos is the only club showing great interest in the Brazilian starlet. Desperate to add more attacking prowess to the squad, officials representing the Greek Champions have been working hard to reach an agreement with the stubborn Brazilian club. Several offers of € 7 million; then € 9 million, and up to € 11 million, were rejected by Portuguesa. Asked to raise their offer to € 13 million, Olympiacos showed their desire to sign Diogo and complied by the club’s request. Waiting for their decision, Olympiacos as well as the faithful supporters were optimistic on Wednesday night. The momentum was shattered the following morning as Portuguesa was unable to give a straight answer. The club basically decided…well they decided nothing — they couldn’t say yes, they couldn’t say no. Leaving the forecast of the transfer very foggy, and almost impossible.

After an entire day of speculation, several small media outlets — Greek and Brazilian — reported earlier today that the club had agreed to terms with Portuguesa and Diogo. The reports went one step further and said that Diogo would be announced and unveiled as a signing by the coming midweek. Take it for what it’s worth. Being Greek, I’ve learned not to trust any type of media other than the announcements made by the public. For now at least, Diogo remains a Portuguesa player; while Olympiacos struggle with their attacking woes.

Category: 2008/2009 Season, Olympiacos Team News, Transfers

Tags: 2008/2009 Season, Diogo, Olympiacos, Olympiacos Team News, Portuguesa, Transfers

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