Podence at the Crossroads: Can He Still Define Olympiacos’ Season — and His Own Future?

Picture from Eurokinissi: Giorgos Matthaios

There is still time for Daniel Podence to shape how this season is remembered at Olympiacos. But the brutal truth is this: up to now, he has not done enough.

That is the uncomfortable conversation Olympiacos fans are having as the season enters its decisive stretch. Not because Podence lacks talent. Not because anyone has forgotten what he means to the club. And certainly not because supporters do not want the story to work. In many ways, the problem is the opposite. Too many people are still judging him through the lens of memory rather than the reality of this campaign. In 1,820 minutes this season, Podence has 28 appearances, 2 goals and 8 assists.

This is not Podence the electric game-breaker of the Conference League run. This is not the winger who could tilt a derby with one dribble, one chipped finish, one outrageous piece of invention. This season, his return has felt more romantic than productive. And yet, the twist is that the story is not over.

A season of expectation more than delivery

Podence came back for a third spell at Olympiacos carrying huge emotional weight. He is a known quantity, a crowd favourite, a player with status, flair and a history of producing in big moments. He also returned on major money, one of the highest-paid players around the squad, and that changes the standard by which he should be judged.

That standard has not been met. The core criticism is simple: for a player of his salary, profile and supposed influence, there have not been enough defining performances. There have been moments, flashes, reminders. But too few sustained displays. Too few games where he has clearly imposed himself. Too few nights where he has looked like the Podence Olympiacos thought it was getting back.

That is the frustration. This is not a player being criticised for being useless. He is being criticised because the gap between what he is and what he has shown is still too big.

Supporters can remember the chip against Panathinaikos, the quality in Europe, the swagger, the central combinations, the chemistry he once had with Ayoub El Kaabi. But memory does not win league titles. Output does.

His role this season is bigger than numbers

Podence’s importance cannot be measured only in goals and assists. In this Olympiacos side, especially under Mendilibar, he is one of the few attackers capable of receiving between the lines, drifting inside, carrying the ball centrally and playing the kind of vertical pass that breaks structure.

Against OFI, there were signs of that version again. He was nominally starting from the left, but often came inside into more central pockets. From there, he helped connect play more progressively, rather than simply recycling possession side to side. That is where Podence is useful. Not as a touchline-hugging winger living off repeated one-v-one duels, but as a floating creative threat who links midfield to attack and gives El Kaabi better service.

Olympiacos are a side that can become predictable. Too many crosses. Too much sterile pressure against low block teams that don't build-up. Too much waiting for one ball to finally land on El Kaabi’s head. Podence, at his best, is one of the few players who can make Olympiacos' attacking play feel less mechanical and more dangerous. That is why his role remains so important.

Because if Olympiacos are going to win the league, it probably will not be through aesthetic brilliance. It will be through efficiency, defensive solidity, and key individuals producing in the biggest moments. El Kaabi is obviously central to that equation. But if Podence rediscovers even 80 percent of his best level, he could still be the second attacker who changes everything.

The Podence–El Kaabi connection could still decide the title

There is a reason people keep coming back to the Podence-El Kaabi axis. When it clicks, Olympiacos look far more complete. El Kaabi is the finisher, the reference point, the striker whose form could make or break the title race. But even the best striker needs supply, timing and support. Podence is supposed to be one of the players who provides exactly that.

Their understanding gave Olympiacos unpredictability during the 2023/24 season. Podence could arrive inside, combine quickly, slip passes into dangerous zones, or draw defenders out before feeding El Kaabi. That relationship helped make Olympiacos more than just a crossing team.

This season, that connection has barely appeared consistently enough. But this is where the argument becomes interesting. Olympiacos do not need Podence to dominate from August to May anymore. They need him now. In the playoffs. In derbies. In the games that will actually decide the championship.

If El Kaabi is rediscovering form at the right time, then Podence has one final window to show he can be the partner who elevates him again. If he becomes that player over the run-in, the whole discussion around his season changes. Not completely, but meaningfully.

Football is ruthless like that. Months of underwhelming form can be partially forgiven if you win people the title.

Has he done enough to be kept?

This is where sentiment has to be separated from squad-building. On the evidence of the season so far, it doesn't look like Podence has not done enough to justify staying beyond the loan.

If Olympiacos were making the decision today, based strictly on performance, the answer should be no. The club cannot keep making expensive emotional decisions. If a player is among the highest earners, he has to be a decisive figure, not a nostalgia project.

There are several reasons for that. First, the raw impact has not been sufficient. Second, there are questions about consistency, motivation and whether his head is fully locked in. Third, the financial aspect is huge. A player coming from Saudi wages is not likely to come cheap. And with El Kaabi renewing on a top salary, Podence’s demands could rise too. Olympiacos would be committing major resources to a player whose output has not justified that level of investment.

That is not smart squad planning. The club also has to think about alternatives, balance, age profile, and whether those funds could be used on a more reliable attacking profile in the summer. One who fits the system, presses consistently, offers unpredictability and end product, and arrives without the emotional baggage of “what he once was.”

That last part matters. Podence is fighting not just the opposition, but his own myth.

But the playoffs can still change everything

And this is why the situation is not black and white. If Podence explodes in the playoffs, if he turns up in derbies, if he feeds El Kaabi, wins points and drags Olympiacos over the line, then the conversation becomes much more complicated.

Because then it is no longer about a disappointing season in the abstract. It becomes about decisive contribution when it mattered most. If he is a key reason Olympiacos win the league, there will be a strong emotional and football case to keep him. Fans would accept it far more easily. The club might be more willing to negotiate. Even the criticism of his earlier form would soften, because titles change narratives.

A poor seven months followed by a huge playoff run does not suddenly mean he has had a brilliant season. But it can mean he has had a meaningful one. And at big clubs, meaningful can sometimes matter more than neat seasonal averages.

Can he finally win a league with Olympiacos?

That is one of the stranger little subplots here. For all the affection between Podence and Olympiacos, and for all the iconic moments he has delivered in red and white, he has never actually won the Greek league with the club - he left for Wolves in January 2020, the season where Pedro Martins Olympiacos side won their first title under the Portuguese tactician. That alone should be a source of motivation.

This is his chance to correct that. To stop being remembered mainly as a brilliant talent who gave Olympiacos sparks across different eras, and start being remembered as a player who came back and helped deliver the one trophy that matters most domestically.

For Olympiacos, winning the league is never just another objective. It is the objective. This year even more so, with Champions League football and all the financial and sporting consequences attached to it. If Podence wants to prove he truly belongs in the next version of the squad, this is the time. Not with words. Not with reputation. Not with old clips. Now.

Verdict: let the loan expire — unless he wins you the title

That is probably the fairest conclusion. Based on the season so far, Olympiacos should let the loan expire and look for another option in the summer. Podence has not done enough, especially considering the money involved and the expectations attached to him.

Meanwhile rumours are rife about the likely return of Kostas Fortounis, the man who captained Olympiacos to Europa Conference League glory.

But football seasons are not judged in March alone. They are judged by what happens when the pressure peaks. If Podence becomes a defining factor in the playoff run, if he reconnects with El Kaabi, if he turns up in the big games and helps drive Olympiacos to the title, then the club has a real dilemma on its hands.

And perhaps that is the perfect way to frame his season. So far, it has been a disappointment. From here, it could still become decisive.

For Olympiacos, for the title race, and for Podence’s own future, the next stretch may decide everything.

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