Odysseas Vlachodimos making a wondersave to deny Real Madrid sensation Rodrygo.placeholder image
Odysseas Vlachodimos making a wondersave to deny Real Madrid sensation Rodrygo. | La Liga
Odysseas Vlachodimos played just 45 minutes for Newcastle United but is shining at Real Madrid.
Odysseas Vlachodimos is the forgotten man at Newcastle United but he continues to star out on loan.
Signed in July 2024 as part of the PSR fudge that saw Elliot Anderson controversially leave the club, the Greek international was an outcast at St James’ Park. He arrived with pedigree, having spent five years as Benfica’s first-choice shot-stopper.
However, Eddie Howe viewed Vlachodimos as an also-ran, in the same category as Mark Gillespie and John Ruddy, with Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka his favoured pairing. Not even a clean sheet against England at Wembley managed to change Newcastle’s fortunes that Vlachodimos was there to do anything more than warm the strikers up.
Watch Odysseas Vlachodimos wonder save vs Real Madrid
Vlachodimos joined Sevilla on a season-long loan in August to pursue first-team football. His move was sanctioned once Aaron Ramsdale arrived from Southampton.
Few on Tyneside expected the 31-year-old to turn heads and make Newcastle question their decision to shun him from first-team action. In an underwhelming Sevilla team currently sitting 10th in Liga, Vlachodimos has the fifth best xG conceded among Europe’s top five leagues.
At the Bernabeu last night, the Toon loanee pulled off one of the saves of the season to deny Rodrygo. A penny for the thoughts of the Newcastle recruitment team who searched far and wide for a goalkeeper in the summer…
Odysseas Vlachodimos on Newcastle United situation
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Speaking to the i last week, Vlachodimos admitted to being dumbfounded at his lack of game time under Howe. But the goalie is also not giving up on hope that he can become a Newcastle success.
“Of course there was frustration that I didn’t play more,” he said. “If you look back in my career I have played plenty of games, Champions League games, international games with Greece, I always want to play and you’re a bit disappointed if you don’t play and don’t get the chance.
“I thought I would play more games, to be fair. I came with a different outlook and ambition but things didn’t go as I thought it would. It was a new experience to me because I’ve always played but I learned something from it. I stayed fit, kept training and I think it made me the goalkeeper I am now.
“Why I didn’t catch the game time that was spoken to me about before I moved? We need to ask other people about that. Me and my family, since day one at Newcastle, have felt very good.
“I think we fit well with the club, I like the people at the club and the Geordies, whether that’s at the supermarket or out and around. Newcastle is a fantastic club. But I also want to play for them and to be important on the pitch.”
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