Olympiacos Eye Frankfurt's Ellyes Skhiri Alongside Fiorentina and Sevilla
- Thrylos 7 Intl Team
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
The appearance of Ellyes Skhiri on Olympiacos’ midfield shortlist is significant partly because of the player himself—and partly because of what he represents compared with Gustavo Puerta. AfricaFoot reported on Saturday that Olympiacos, Sevilla and Fiorentina are engaged in negotiations around the Tunisia international, whose Eintracht Frankfurt contract expires in June 2027. The outlet says Frankfurt are prepared to sell and places the asking price at only €1.5–2 million.
Gazzetta subsequently carried the Olympiacos element of the story in Greece.
The source hierarchy matters here. This is not yet a transfer that can be treated with the same confidence as the club-side reporting around Gustavo Puerta. But it is sufficiently specific—and the broader Skhiri market is sufficiently corroborated—to warrant attention.
Puerta and Skhiri solve the same position in completely different ways
Olympiacos’ pursuit of Puerta has been built around development and asset value. He is 23. He possesses significant resale potential.
And signing him would likely require an eight-figure investment.
Skhiri is essentially the inverse proposition.
At 31, Olympiacos would be buying:
immediate experience;
tactical reliability;
Bundesliga-level defensive understanding;
leadership;
European experience;
and comparatively low transfer amortization.
There would be very little expectation of future resale. That means the question is not simply which player is better?
It is: What type of investment does Olympiacos want to make in this midfield position?
The potential transfer fee changes everything
If AfricaFoot’s €1.5–2 million figure proves accurate, Skhiri becomes an unusually inexpensive route to a high-level experienced midfielder. Even allowing for a significant salary and agent commission, the financial commitment would remain dramatically below the reported cost of Puerta.
That could allow Olympiacos to allocate substantially more capital toward:
left-back;
another attacking player;
or additional depth.
The tradeoff is obvious. Puerta can potentially become an appreciating asset. Skhiri almost certainly cannot.
Tactically, Skhiri makes considerable sense
Skhiri’s game has historically been built around defensive intelligence rather than spectacular possession.
He excels at reading danger, protecting central zones and repeatedly arriving where the next duel occurs.
That profile can be valuable in Mendilibar’s football.
Olympiacos’ aggressive press regularly asks its midfielders to defend situations where considerable space exists behind the first line. The first NEC match demonstrated the cost when that coverage is insufficient.
Skhiri could provide:
positional stability ahead of the centre-backs;
aerial strength;
second-ball recovery;
defensive anticipation;
and disciplined positioning when a full-back advances.
He would not necessarily provide Puerta’s carrying ability or dynamic progression. The two therefore represent different solutions.
A Hezze–Skhiri midfield could be extremely difficult to play through
There is also an intriguing tactical possibility.
Pairing Skhiri with Santiago Hezze would create a midfield with enormous defensive discipline.
Both players are comfortable:
covering ground;
competing for loose balls;
pressing;
protecting transitions.
Against stronger European opposition, that could give Olympiacos considerably greater resistance through the centre. The obvious concern would be possession.
Domestic opponents frequently defend extremely deep against Olympiacos.
A Hezze–Skhiri pairing could lack enough progressive passing and creative ambition when Olympiacos have 65–70% possession.
That would potentially place even greater creative responsibility on Mouzakitis, Chiquinho and the wide players.
Skhiri and Mouzakitis might be the more balanced combination
Against compact Greek opposition, Skhiri could instead function as the defensive platform beside Christos Mouzakitis.
That structure is potentially compelling.
Skhiri handles:
defensive positioning;
physical duels;
transition protection.
Mouzakitis handles:
first-phase progression;
vertical passing;
creativity from midfield.
The younger Greek would therefore have greater freedom to influence possession without simultaneously being responsible for protecting every transition.
Age is not automatically a problem—but role matters
At 31, Skhiri would need to be evaluated differently from Puerta. Olympiacos should not be asking whether he can become more valuable.
They should be asking whether he can deliver two or three elite seasons immediately.
His physical condition therefore becomes central. Mendilibar’s midfield requirements are demanding. A player may be tactically intelligent enough to understand every pressing trigger but still struggle if he can no longer repeatedly close the required distances.
That would require careful physical evaluation before any deal.
Sevilla may currently be the biggest obstacle
AfricaFoot describes Sevilla as slightly ahead of Olympiacos and Fiorentina. That claim deserves some weight because Sevilla’s interest is independently supported.
Spanish newspaper AS reported Friday that the Andalusian club are examining Skhiri as a defensive-midfield reinforcement and noted that Frankfurt are willing to facilitate his departure.
Sevilla offer La Liga.
Fiorentina offer Serie A.
Olympiacos’ strongest arguments would be different:
likely Champions League/European football;
a central sporting role;
domestic-title contention;
and potentially a stronger financial package.
Whether those advantages are enough is unknown.
Where does this leave Puerta?
This is the most interesting strategic question. Nothing in Saturday’s Skhiri report establishes that Olympiacos have abandoned Puerta. The club may simply be running parallel negotiations. That is normal.
If Racing Santander continue demanding a fee Olympiacos consider excessive, Skhiri provides a dramatically cheaper experienced alternative. Alternatively, Skhiri may be one of several names being examined while Puerta remains first choice. Until strong Olympiacos-side reporting changes the hierarchy, Puerta should still be considered the better-supported priority.
Skhiri is now the most credible newly emerging alternative.
The risk/reward equation could appeal to Moncada
Geoffrey Moncada’s reported arrival also adds another dimension. Olympiacos are currently trying to build a recruitment structure capable of evaluating both immediate sporting value and longer-term asset value.
Puerta fits one side of that equation. Skhiri fits the other. A sophisticated squad cannot consist exclusively of prospects.
Sometimes an inexpensive veteran with 199 Bundesliga appearances can produce more immediate competitive value than a far more expensive player whose peak lies several years away. AfricaFoot lists Skhiri at 199 Bundesliga appearances between Köln and Frankfurt.
The optimal answer depends on the rest of the squad. If Olympiacos believe Mouzakitis, Hezze and Scipioni provide enough future asset value in midfield already, spending heavily on another young midfielder may be unnecessary.
If they believe Puerta can become a cornerstone and future major sale, the €10m-plus investment becomes easier to justify. That decision is now one of the most interesting parts of the remaining window.
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