Newcastle United goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos with the rest of the Magpies’ goalkeeper’s union in action last season.placeholder image
Newcastle United goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos with the rest of the Magpies’ goalkeeper’s union in action last season. | Getty Images
Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali tied the knot in Italy this week - and there was a surprise guest.
This isn’t what anyone expected - well, unless you’ve been paying attention to social media.
Of all the Newcastle United players to be invited to the wedding of Sandro Tonali and Juliette Pastore this week, few would have expected it to be THIS player and his partner.
While fireworks lit the sky, love filled the air, and Italy’s legendry gloveman Gianluigi Buffon danced the night away, skirting around the dancefloor was none other than forgotten man, Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Odysseas Vlachodimos and his wife were guests at the wedding of Sandro Tonali and Juliette Pastore earlier this week. He's the only Newcastle United player spotted at the ceremony.placeholder image
Odysseas Vlachodimos and his wife were guests at the wedding of Sandro Tonali and Juliette Pastore earlier this week. He's the only Newcastle United player spotted at the ceremony. | Instagram
Vlachodimos x Tonali
Few would have predicted it, but it seems the pair, or their partners have struck up some kind of footballing friendship.
While Tonali has quite publicly discussed how well he gets on with Newcastle’s Brazilian boys, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, he has never gone into depth about a friendship with the former Greece and Benfica No.1 Vlachodimos.
But regular watchers of social media - and Instagram, in particular - would know that the players have dropped a hint at their friendship earlier this summer. Following the pair had been on international duty with Italy and Greece respectively, Pastore, who wed Tonali on Monday, posted to her Instagram that she was holidaying in Athens with her now husband. And as the trip played out through her social media story, it became apparent the pair were invited to a gathering, organised by Vlacodimos and his family, at what appeared to be a child’s christening.
And, returning the favour, it the Tonali’s invited the keeper and his wife to their big event next to Lake Como. Pastore added a photo of herself, with midfield maestro Tonali and the two guests to her Instagram story this week.
NUFC transfers: Vlachodimos exit
To many, Vlacodimos is Newcastle’s forgotten man.
In order for Newcastle to clear PSR regulations and come in line with allowable losses over a three-year period, the Magpies had to go searching the Premier League, cap in hand, last summer and ended up at the door of Nottingham Forest. One of the deals struck to level out the accounts was to basically trade Elliot Anderson for around £35million, with Vlachodimos a reluctant trade off, in what ended up being the most expensive keeper they’ve ever bought. He cost double what current No.1 Nick Pope did, around £20million.
Now, although he’s very much NUFC’s fourth choice in that department, letting him leave is fraught with danger, when it comes to PSR.
While fans call for the player to be sold, due to the nature of PSR, were the player not sold for at least his value on the books - thought to be about £16million due to the length of his contract - then it would represent a loss.
The idea of getting that kind of sum is fanciful. So, what seems most likely is, a loan exit for the player, or, quite possibly, more time, frustratingly, as United’s No.4.
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