Sporting CP and Greece right-back Georgios Vagiannidis has been linked with a move to Everton
Georgios Vagiannidis of Sporting CP
Georgios Vagiannidis of Sporting CP
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Everton have been linked with a move for Georgios Vagiannidis but what could the Sporting CP player potentially bring to the Blues’ side?
Sport Witness cite a report in Portuguese outlet A Bola that claims Everton are one of the options on the table for the right-back who could be signed for as little as €10million (£8.67m). The article says the Greek international, who has been capped 11 times by his country, could leave Lisbon this summer due to his lack of playing time and while no official offers have been made, the Blues and Spanish side Villarreal who were both keen on him last summer before he joined Sporting from Panathinaikos for €12.5m plus add ons, have made enquiries.
Vagiannidis was born in Athens on September 12, 2001, the same day that Everton were knocked out of the League Cup to a lower division side for the fourth straight season with Walter Smith’s side beaten 5-4 on penalties by second tier Crystal Palace after a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park. Both goals in the game came from the spot as Duncan Ferguson’s sixth minute opener was cancelled out by an effort from fellow Scot Dougie Freedman just four minutes later and with the Blues centre-forward being replaced at half-time by debutant Nick Chadwick, it was captain Kevin Campbell who was the only man to miss in the shoot-out with what was the opening kick as all subsequent takers held their nerve.
Having come up through the youth ranks at Panathinaikos and scoring on his professional debut in a 3-1 win over Panetolikos on February 16, 2020, Vagiannidis went back on a verbal agreement to pen a new contract. Talks were halted due to the coronavirus pandemic and he signed a four-year deal with Italian giants Internazionale instead on June 5, 2020, with FIFA determining the Serie A side had to pay €400,000 in compensation for the then 18-year-old.
Vagiannidis never got to turn out for Inter as he was loaned to Belgian outfit Sint-Truiden for the season on October 1 of the same year. His time with the Jupiler Pro League team was restricted to a solitary outing against Lokeren-Temse in the cup and after a year away, he rejoined Panathinaikos for an undisclosed fee on September 3, 2021, making over a century of appearances before his move to Portugal on August 6 last year.
In terms of his playing style, the 24-year-old doesn’t seem to fit any particular category very easily. His player profile on Comparisonator sees him ranking highest as a wing-back at 5.9 out of 10 followed by playmaker back 5.4 then 4.5 for two-ways full-back and 2.5 for defensive full-back.
When it comes to a similarity in style to current Premier League players. Jayden Bogle of Leeds United is the only one to be listed with an 87% match.
We can also use Comparisonator’s Virtual Transfer tool to correlate Vagiannidis’ statistics from Portugal’s Primeira Liga this season against those playing in his position in the Premier League. Although the less rigorous demands of the division he has been operating in are highlighted by him covering an average of just 7.438km per 90 minutes compared to Premier League leader Daniel Munoz of Crystal Palace on 10.642km (for context, Everton’s Jake O’Brien averages 9.326km), his fleet-footed nature means that only Timothy Castagne of Fulham (116m) and Munoz (111m) can better his 109m per minute distance covered with O’Brien posting 101m.
Georgios Vagiannidis' distance per minute in metres compared to Premier League players in his position
Georgios Vagiannidis' distance per minute in metres compared to Premier League players in his position
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Vagiannidis appears to be a much more forward-thinking right-back than O’Brien who regularly fills the position for the Blues despite being a natural centre-back. Only Amad Diallo of Manchester United, who is more like a winger (3.8) and Alex Jimenez of Bournemouth (2.89) can top his average of 2.2 progressive runs per 90 minutes among Premier League players in his position with O’Brien on 0.61.
His figure of 0.7 successful dribbles in the final third of the pitch is only topped by a trio of players, Diallo (1.8); Jimenez (0.78) and Kyle Walker-Peters of West Ham United (0.71). The Greek would also be fourth for playing in scoring attacks (0.65) behind Matheus Nunes of Manchester City (0.82); Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool (0.81) and Jurrien Timber of Arsenal (0.67).
Vagiannidis’ figures would see him ranked ninth for expected goals (xG) 0.07, a category topped by Diallo on 0.2; assists (0.1) where Timber and Nunes are joint leaders on 0.15 and successful dribbles (0.95) a second led by Diallo on 2.07. While he retains possession well with only Bournemouth’s Adam Smith (4.38) more economical than his 5.45 ball losses per 90 minutes.
He’s not so busy out of possession though with an average of just 1.6 interceptions, which is lower than every Premier League right-back in a section topped by Aaron Wan-Bissaka of West Ham United on 5.84 with O’Brien 30th on 2.73. It’s a similar story with ball recoveries as Vagiannidis averages just 4.9 in a category led by Ola Aina of Nottingham Forest on 10.83 with O’Brien 17th on 7.73.
The Sporting player averages 28.8 successful passes per 90 minutes which puts him a long way behind Premier League leader Curtis Jones of Liverpool on 57.08 in 17th but still ahead of O’Brien in 29th on 22.
Overall, Vagiannidis would potentially offer Everton a more forward-thinking option in the right-back berth, giving them the chance to play in a more progressive fashion. However, if a player is already struggling to get minutes at Sporting in a lesser league then there has to be question marks over whether he has what it takes to become a success in England.
*Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world which compares players and clubs by utilising an industry leading 378 different parameters. Click here for more details.
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