Pedersen transfer has stalled — Olympiacos pivot to Fiorentina's Dodô
- Thrylos 7 Intl Team
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Transfer windows occasionally produce moments that reveal far more about a club’s internal evaluation than weeks of rumors ever could. This may be one of them. Marcus Pedersen landed in Athens. He underwent medical examinations. He had already spoken publicly like a player expecting to become part of Olympiacos.
Normally, that is the final straight.
Instead, Olympiacos appear to have hit the brakes. And the reason may be that a better player suddenly became attainable.Dodô represents a very different level of proposition. The 27-year-old Brazilian has spent the last several seasons playing regularly for Fiorentina, has significant Serie A and European experience, and offers substantially more attacking refinement than the typical high-motor full-back.
That matters because of what Olympiacos actually require from the position.
Pedersen always made sense physically
The logic behind Pedersen was straightforward. Pace. Recovery running. Intensity. Athleticism. Those qualities fit José Luis Mendilibar’s pressing game.
But as we discussed when his agreement with Torino emerged, the question was whether €6m plus another €2m in bonuses represented the best allocation of that money.
Olympiacos appeared prepared to spend premium money on a player whose statistical profile did not clearly resemble a premium attacking full-back. Dodô changes that equation.
Dodô offers something Olympiacos need badly against domestic opposition
Olympiacos do not spend every match defending space. In Greece, the opposite is usually true. They face opponents who retreat. Defensive lines compress. Wingers are doubled. The penalty area becomes crowded.
Under those conditions, simply having an athletic right-back is not enough.
You need a player who can:
combine in tight spaces,
receive under pressure,
progress the ball,
overlap intelligently,
underlap,
and consistently create useful final-third possessions.
That has long been one of Dodô’s strongest attributes. The Brazilian is much closer to a technically sophisticated attacking full-back than a pure runner. And that could explain why Olympiacos are apparently willing to reconsider a transfer that was already effectively at the medical stage.
The timing is extraordinary
SPORT24 reports that Dodô’s situation changed Thursday night during contacts in Monaco. Until then, Olympiacos apparently regarded him as a player who was on their radar but realistically unavailable. Then something changed.
By Friday morning, Olympiacos had opened communication with Fiorentina and reportedly put together an offer approaching €10m with bonuses. That is a major financial commitment. And it tells us something important:
Olympiacos are not simply looking for a right-back. They appear prepared to spend considerably more if they believe they can acquire the right right-back.
Nottingham Forest adds an unusual wrinkle
Gianluca Di Marzio separately reported a Nottingham Forest offer of €9m plus €2m in bonuses for Dodô, although Greek reporting differs on whether Forest would acquire him first and loan him to Olympiacos or whether Olympiacos are negotiating directly.
SPORT24’s reporting is cautious here. Their Fiorentina-side information indicates that the active discussion is currently about Olympiacos acquiring the player, not a Forest-to-Olympiacos loan arrangement. That distinction matters. An outright Olympiacos purchase would be a major asset acquisition. A Forest purchase followed by a loan would be primarily a short-term sporting solution. At this point, the structure is still unresolved.
The Pedersen question hasn't disappeared
There is still one major unknown. What actually caused the Pedersen deal to stall?
It could be:
a medical issue,
a final contractual disagreement,
a late change in Torino’s demands,
or simply Olympiacos deciding Dodô was too good an opportunity to ignore.
No credible source has yet established which explanation is correct. That distinction matters, and it would be irresponsible to infer that Pedersen failed his medical simply because the deal stopped after the examination. There is currently no confirmed reporting establishing a failed medical. What we know is narrower:
Pedersen completed examinations.
The expected signing did not follow.
Negotiations stalled.
Olympiacos immediately accelerated for Dodô.
If Dodô is attainable, I understand the pivot
From a squad-building perspective, this makes more sense than it initially appears. Olympiacos could have proceeded with Pedersen simply because the transaction was almost complete. Instead, management appears willing to absorb the inconvenience of reopening the position because it believes another player provides greater quality.
That is exactly how an ambitious recruitment department should behave.
The question should never be: "How far along are we with Player A?"
It should be: "Which available player gives us the best team?"
If Olympiacos believe the answer changed Thursday night, changing course is rational. Especially after Evangelos Marinakis publicly said Friday that Olympiacos must play more aggressive, pressing football but also move away from the excessive long-ball approach seen at times last season.
A technically superior full-back fits that ambition.
This could become one of the defining transfers of the window
If Olympiacos complete Dodô at approximately €10m, it would be a significant statement. A 27-year-old established Fiorentina starter. Serie A experience. European experience. A player entering what should still be his prime years. And somebody whose technical profile potentially solves one of Olympiacos’ more obvious weaknesses in possession.
The catch is obvious. Nothing is finished.
SPORT24 explicitly reports that no deal has been completed, and agreement with the player remains a key hurdle. So the situation currently stands:
Pedersen: 🟠 stalled
Dodô: 🟠 serious active negotiations
Olympiacos–Fiorentina: talks progressing
Dodô personal agreement: not yet confirmed
But this is no longer routine transfer speculation. Olympiacos have apparently reached the point where they are willing to stop one €8m transfer at the finish line because a player they rate even more highly has suddenly become available. That is a real development.
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