Pompey grabs Gekas on loan

The long wait for a transfer away from the BayArena is finally over for Theofanis Gekas, thanks to Premier League side Portsmouth agreeing to host the Greece international for the next six months on a loan deal with Bayer Leverkusen.

Linked with several clubs, including Greek Champions Olympiacos, Gekas was rumoured to leave Leverkusen during the early weeks of January; however, hearsay remained just speculation, and Gekas remained part of ‘Werkself’ until making the move to England.

Complete details have been hard to come by, but there is a hint that the move could be made permanent if Gekas lives up to expectation while at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth manager Tony Adams appears to have high hopes for the Greek gem, as the English bench boss spoke to the club’s official website about Pompey’s latest swoop in the transfer market.

“His goal scoring record is fantastic and he’s always looking to score goals,” Adams told http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk.

“He’s always on the shoulder of the last defender, he looks to get in behind the defence and he’s got a great eye for goal. Hopefully that will continue with Pompey,” continued Adams.

“He plays for the Greek national team and recently came on against Italy and scored. A couple of years ago he was the highest scorer in the Bundesliga. The Bundesliga is a fantastic league, so that’s not an easy feat.

“I think that he’s really keen to come to the Premier League and get some goals for us. He’s a player that I think can come in and do well straight away. He’s certainly hungry to do well and hopefully he can hit the ground running. I think he’s got the right attitude and mentality to come in and do well right from the start.

“I’m surprised that he hasn’t played as much for Leverkusen this season; but he’s still been useful for them. He’s only played 108 minutes for them in the league, and he’s scored two goals.”

Adams does have reason to be optimistic about his newest striker, as Gekas made a hugh splash in the scoring charts of the German Bundesliga during his rookie year in Germany’s top flight. Signing for VfL Bochum in the summer of 2006, after Panathinaikos agreed to send the player to Germany, Gekas surprisingly topped the scoring charts at the end of the 2006/2007 season.

Scoring twenty goals, Gekas finished ahead of the likes of then Bayern Munich star Roy Makaay, and Swiss striker Alexander Frei by four goals to top the scoring chart.

A move to more luxurious Leverkusen followed suit for Gekas soon after he won the Bundesliga scoring crown, but while twenty-goals were desired, Gekas only managed to register eleven goals to wrap up his second season in the Bundesliga.

Always facing tough competition in the Leverkusen attack, thanks to the rivalry with Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kiessling, the first six months of the current season saw Gekas receive just a handful starts, and only a few more appearances as a substitute.

With the highly competitive surroundings of the Premier League, it will be interesting to see if Gekas can adjust to life in England in his first six months with Pompey.