OLYMPIACOS REOPEN TALKS WITH MAURO ICARDI
Three weeks ago, Mauro Icardi appeared to be a closed file. Olympiacos had tried. Icardi had said no.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio’s reporting on August 15, the former Inter, PSG and Galatasaray striker received an offer from Olympiacos but rejected it while waiting for alternatives elsewhere.
That could easily have been the end of the story. Then Ayoub El Kaabi went down. And suddenly the entire striker equation in Piraeus changed. On Thursday morning, Argentine journalist Nahuel Ferreira reported that Olympiacos have reopened the Icardi operation, with formal contacts taking place over a proposed two-year agreement. Ferreira specifically reports that Olympiacos want Icardi to arrive and compete with young Mexican striker Armando González.
That last detail is important. This does not sound like Olympiacos simply adding emergency depth. It sounds like they are considering adding another legitimate starting-level centre-forward.
El Kaabi’s injury has changed the club’s tolerance for risk
Before Volos, Olympiacos could afford patience. El Kaabi remained the established No.9. González was a developmental acquisition. Roman Yaremchuk offered another experienced option. Then El Kaabi suffered the serious injury that forced Olympiacos back into the market.
González has responded spectacularly — three Greek Cup goals already, including two goals and an assist against Volos — but expecting a young striker adapting to European football to replace El Kaabi immediately across an entire campaign is a very different proposition.
That explains why Olympiacos are apparently exploring both Marius Mouandilmadji and now Icardi.
The profiles could hardly be more different. Mouandilmadji would require a transfer agreement with Samsunspor and has been reported around the €7 million level including bonuses. Icardi requires no transfer fee. But his wages would almost certainly represent the bigger economic obstacle.
Icardi would be a completely different kind of gamble
At 33, Olympiacos would not be purchasing future resale value. They would be purchasing goals. Icardi’s career has been built around penalty-box movement. He is not a forward who needs enormous involvement in possession to influence matches. His greatest strength has always been understanding where chances will appear before defenders recognize the danger. Near-post runs. Blind-side movements. Second phases.
Cutbacks. Rebounds.
Small changes of direction inside the penalty area. For a team expected to spend significant portions of domestic matches attacking deep defensive blocks, that skill set has obvious value and with players such as Leon Bailey, Gelson Martins, Chiquinho, Gustavo Sá, Jota Silva, Gustavo Puerta and Kostas Fortounis capable of creating chances around him, Icardi would not need to manufacture his own offense constantly.
He would primarily need to finish it.
But how does that fit Imanol Alguacil?
This is where the transfer becomes particularly interesting.
Olympiacos are simultaneously changing manager and searching for a striker.
Imanol Alguacil historically asks considerably more from his centre-forward than simply finishing chances.
At Real Sociedad, the striker often played an important role in:
initiating pressure,
connecting midfield with attack,
occupying centre-backs,
creating space for wide players,
and participating in coordinated counterpressing.
Icardi's penalty-area instincts fit beautifully. Whether his physical condition and off-ball defensive contribution fit the rest of Alguacil’s model would require much more scrutiny. That makes the timing important.
If Olympiacos ultimately commit significant wages to Icardi, this should ideally be an Alguacil-approved signing, not simply an emergency acquisition handed to the new manager.
González may actually make the move more sensible
Counterintuitively, Armando González’s excellent start strengthens the argument for another striker rather than weakening it. Why? Because Olympiacos no longer need to find somebody who must play every minute. González has earned opportunities.
Icardi could provide experience and high-level finishing. Yaremchuk provides another physical and tactical alternative. Eventually El Kaabi returns. That gives Alguacil options rather than dependency. The risk, of course, is creating an extremely crowded striker room once everyone is available.
That is why the reported two-year duration matters. Olympiacos would not merely be signing a temporary El Kaabi replacement. They would be making a decision about the attacking hierarchy beyond this season.
There is another major limitation: Europe
Any late signing would also have to be viewed through Olympiacos’ European registration situation. Reports note that Icardi would not be eligible for Olympiacos' UEFA campaign until the next registration opportunity in January because the squad-registration deadline has already passed. That significantly changes the value proposition.
Olympiacos' immediate need exists partly because they have European matches coming. Icardi could help enormously in Greece. He cannot immediately solve the European problem. González, Yaremchuk and the existing registered options would therefore still have to carry that responsibility.
The most fascinating part is that Olympiacos came back
This is what separates today's report from ordinary transfer recycling. Olympiacos apparently already heard no.
And returned anyway. Something has changed. El Kaabi’s injury clearly changed Olympiacos’ urgency.
The remaining question is whether Icardi’s circumstances have changed enough for his answer to change as well. He is still without a club. Many major European markets are already closed. Greece remains available.
Olympiacos can offer a title race, an enormous club, European football from January if registered, and potentially an immediate central role.
An offer that wasn't sufficiently attractive on August 15 may look considerably different on September 10.
And Olympiacos apparently believe it is worth finding out.
Comments