No press release has been posted on Werder Bremen’s website as of yet, but the Greek press says the deal has already been signed.

According to Greek sports site SPORT24.GR, the former Olympiacos man has signed a 3.5 year contract with Werder Bremen’s youth outfit, Werder Bremen B.

Matsoukas worked his way up through the amateur ranks at Olympiacos, and signed a professional contract during July 2007. His time with the Greek Champions was limited, as six months after he signed on at ‘O Thrylos’, he was loaned out to now Beta Ethniki side Egaleo.

He returned to Piraeus six months later, but within thirty days he was loaned out again; this time to second-tier outfit Ethnikos Asteras.

His loan was terminated this earlier month; with many expecting Matsoukas to return to the club after Darko Kovacevic was forced into early retirement due to hear surgery.

To the surprise of many, Matsoukas was released by the club after manager Ernesto Valverde alerted management that the youthful Greek was not part of the Spaniard’s plans.

A fresh start in Germany could be the right tonic for Matsoukas to grow into a star striker; however, the Greek starlet will likely face great competition within the Bremen ranks.

Signing on at Fratton Park for the next eighteen months, the move is rumoured to be a free transfer, but not all details have been revealed by either side.

A press release on AEK’s official website hints that the move is of the free nature; “AEK FC announces the termination of its co-operation with Angelos Basinas. The administration of AEK would like to thank the player for his efforts, and wish him success in the future.”

As AEK’s woes continue, and somewhat worsen after Giorgos Kintis stepped down as AEK president, Basinas appears to be exiting the capital club at just the right time. However, his departure was not swift enough for the EURO 2004 winner to excuse himself from hostile criticism originating from AEK’s most loyal supporters – mainly supporters club Original 21.

Meanwhile, in England, Basinas has been praised a big signing for Portsmouth, and the club’s chairman Peter Storrie was very excited about the move.

“We’ve brought in someone of immense experience, the current captain of Greece who is just three games away from winning his 100th cap for his country,” Storrie told http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk.

“He’s exactly what we need in the situation that we’re in. He’s a player that Tony was eager to bring to Pompey.

“He desperately wanted to come here and we have an option to sign him for a further year on top of the 18 months.”

His full decade spell with Panathinaikos refers to an in-prime Basinas, but it wasn’t until the EURO 2004 finals that Basinas stamped his name on international football. Scoring on a penalty against Portugal in the tournament’s opening game; Basinas then went on to assist on Greece’s tournament-winning goal against the same Portuguese side in the tournament’s climax.

A year and half after helping Greece claim top spot in Lisbon, Basinas moved to Spanish side RCD Mallorca during the January transfer window of 2006. Immediately making an impact, Basinas was a crucial part of Mallorca’s survival in the Spanish top flight.

The following season Mallorca rose from the near extremes of the drop zone to finish seventh in the La Liga standings, and only one point from qualifying for European competition. While he contributed in Mallorca’s uprising, which was ultimately pioneered by Spain international Danny Guiza, Basinas was released by the island club in July.

Returning to Greece this summer, AEK signed the Greek midfielder to a two-year contract. That paperwork has since been terminated, and it is reported the Super League giants have saved a whopping € 1.9 million on salary by offloading Basinas.

First he spoke about Bayer Leverkusen:
“I arrived here with great expectations, but this is not the best place for me. I do not know what has changed, but I have a two year contract. I would like to leave, but I don’t I will be anytime soon. There has been no discussion with Olympiacos. There is not proposal from Greece in general. If there was a proposal, it would be discussed seriously. Loans are not an option; I know this for a fact as several clubs have approached us.”

Then he talked about his price tag:
“There isn’t a high price tag on my sale; the team has plenty of money to acquire replacements. I asked to leave. If the team finds something special, they will surrender their grip on my rights. The team will be aggressive, however, in the market as they only have three strikers.”

Gekas concluded the interview by talking about his health:
“I am well, and will return to the team on Wednesday. I will then probably take part in a friendly on Friday.

Having made his breakthrough with Panathinaikos during the 2006-2007, an injury kept Ninis out of the starting eleven for the majority of last year. Looking for a fresh start this year, little changed this September as the twice capped Greece international has only made two appearances for Panathinaikos this year. The youngster will hope to return the squad as soon as possible but absences from the club’s Champions League lineup as well as the past weekend’s tilt with Aris have left many PAO supporters scratching their heads.

Ninis limited playing time with the “Tryfilli” will not benefit the youngster in his attempt to crack Greece’s starting eleven during the qualifiers. Having made his debut against Cyprus in a friendly before EURO 2008, Ninis was excluded from the continental championships. For a player tipped to be Greece’s next footballing icon, the opportunity to shine is surely eluding him in the early stages of his bright career.

The Greek Super League will return to action this weekend, after a break in play for international fixtures. A handful of teams, including Larissa, Olympiakos, and AEK will look to continue their perfect starts. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos and Panionios will be in search of their first victories.

The weekend starts with four games scheduled for a Saturday kickoff. Iraklis continues its home stay with Cretan club OFI FC visiting Kautanzogleio. Both clubs opened the season with a loss at home, only increasing the pressure for this coming weekend. Allowing a late strike dashed Iraklis’ chances of a successful start, while OFI was overpowered by PAOK.

Kicking off at the same time will be Skoda Xanthi and defending champions Olympiakos. Xanthi welcome the Piraeus giants, and will have a tricky task with the thus far perfect ‘Eruthroleuki’. The home side will be keen to continue their winning streak, after a 1-0 defeat of Panionios gave Xanthi a perfect start. Olympiakos will also be favoured to win, but injuries to club captain Predrag Djordjevic and matchday one MVP Luciano Galletti cause concern amongst the Piraeus ranks. Galletti scored twice in Olympiakos triumph over Asteras Tripolis, but the Argentine is expected to sit this one out. The visitors will look to stay focused, as their sights could linger to their midweek UEFA Cup encounter with Danish side FC Nordsjælland.

After slipping 2-1 in the Athenian derby against AEK, Panathinaikos returns to action and a win against promoted club Panthrakikos is highly expected. The Champions League will provide a distraction for the ‘Tryfilli’, as a meeting with Italian Champions Inter Milan looms midweek. Panthrakikos were robbed a Super League debut victory, as Ergotelis notched a 2-1 away win. The task will be much more draining this weekend against the Athenian giants. However, with no pressure on the visitors, Panathinaikos could be in for a rough match themselves. A win will be crucial for Panathinaikos, not only for the league race, but to boost confidence ahead of their opening Champions League fixture.

Closing out Saturday’s matches is an encounter between Panserraikos and Panionios. Panserraikos sealed an impressive return to the Greek top flight with a win over Iraklis in Thessaloniki. Summer signing, Patrick Zoundi, scored a brace to see the Serres club upset the home side. On the flip side, their second round opponents will be hungry for a win after coming up short against Xanthi in their season opener. Panionios has made a flurry of late transfers to replace the departed Rafik Djebbour. The acquisitions of Alvaro Recoba and Fabian Estoyanoff have boosted the hopes around Nea Smyrni. It is unclear if the two ‘bam’ signings will make their club debuts this coming weekend, nonetheless the match should offer plenty of intrigue.

Matchday two closes out on Sunday, with the remaining four matches taking place across Greece. Thrasyvoulos will look to make up for the destruction left by Larissa’s 3-0 demolition of the newly promoted club. An evenly matched encounter with Levadiakos could see the Super League debutants grab their first points of the season. Their opponents will be enjoying the comforts of their home ground, and they too will be keen to grab their first points of the new term. A 2-0 loss to Aris seemed inevitable, but the meeting with Thrasyvoulos could make up for the club’s matchday one blunders.

Two undefeated clubs look to continue their perfect starts, as Ergotelis welcome Aris to the Pangkritio Stadium. Both teams avoided any opening round shocks, but for Ergotelis the leeway was slim as Panthrakikos gave the Cretan club a real scare. For Aris a disappointing early exit from European competition was quickly brushed aside, and the club nickname ‘God of War’ cruised to a 2-0 victory over Levadiakos. The Thessaloniki based side will be favoured to continue their perfect start, but Ergotelis’ home advantage could prove to be a tricky task for Aris.

Two potential dark horses rekindle their rivalry in Tripoli as Larissa put their winning start on the line against home side Asteras Tripolis. The latter made their home ground a fortress last year, and pulled of shock defeats of Greece’s ‘Big 3′. However, a 3-1 loss to Olympiakos could dampen the team’s spirits but the midweek signing of Cameroon international Roudolphe Douala adds depth to an injury bit side. As for Larissa, a 3-0 win over Thrasyvoulos initiated early season celebrations as the club’s summer facelift proved to be a success on matchday one. Nolberto Solano played a well rounded seventy-five minutes, but Laurent Robert will be hoping for a spike in his minutes after being limited to a mere three minutes.

He weekend and the matchday conclude with a mouth-watering revival of the rich rivalry between PAOK and AEK. PAOK Toumba Stadium will be the venue for this early season derby, and the home side will look to test their revitalized roster. Led by the profitable knowledge of club president Theodoros Zagorakis, and manager Fernando Santos, PAOK pulled off many squad bolstering transfers this past summer. A dominant performance against OFI gave a glimpse of PAOK’s potential, but the Thessaloniki giants will be in tough against a confident AEK outfit. After defeating rivals Panathinaikos at OAKA, AEK will be looking to make it two-for-two in derbies this season as the ‘Enosis’ continued to adapt to Georgios Donis’ tactics. With Greece international Angelos Basinas at full fitness, AEK will be keen to avoid wasting their fine start.

Matchday two looks to top its predecessor in excitement, with several well matched encounters scheduled for kickoff this weekend. In all, eight clubs will look to double their winning streaks, while the remaining eight have their sights on their first wins of the season.

The Greek Super League (GSL) is only a day away; and here at the Greece Blog we’re counting down the days to kickoff of the 2008/2009 season with a preview for each of the sixteen clubs comprising Greece’s top level of football.

After winning a series of three promotions in three consecutive years, Arcadian club Asteras Tripolis found themselves in the Greek Super League last year. Not only did they impress in their first season in the top flight, the team from the Peloponnese narrowly missed out on the Greek Super League, and ultimately a spot in the UEFA Cup. Now the club is back, and with a year of experience under their belt the club is expected to improve on their opening season.

The face of the club is certainly a new one, despite the fact plenty of the core of players have returned for another spell. One change that is obvious is the man on the touchlines. Paulo Campos began last season as Asteras boss, but he was replaced by Panagiotis Tzanavaras after the locker room became divided over Campos’ tactics. Interim-manager Tzanavaras has since been replaced by new manager Carlos Carvalhal, but Tzanavaras has stayed with the club as an assistant.

The transfer market has been a busy one for Asteras, as many players have joined the club; several have also gone in the other direction. Adding to their already South American core of players, Asteras Tripolis secured several talents from Argentina. One of the club’s summer signings is Adrian Bastia, who joins the club from Argentina’s Racing Club. Boca Juniors agreed to loan out Bruno Urribarri to Tripolis for one season, while Marcelao joins on a full ownership deal. Other signings include: Martin Kamburov, Jorginho, Fabeta, Fabio Felicio, Ricardo Esteves, and Sebastian Erreros.

Long-time members Carlos Alberto Masara, Fernando Machado, Patrick Zoundi, and Ilias Ioannou have left the club after a long but successful stint in Tripoli. Rogerio has departed also left Tripolis, as the player who scored against Panathinaikos joins Ergotelis. Winter signing, Matias Pavoni, is also out after the Argentine had a hard time finding comfort in Greece.

As for the players who remain in the blue-and-yellow, Horacio Cardozo’s on then off again move to Greek Champions Olympiacos seems to be discontinued, as he sets his sights on another year in Tripoli. Lucio Filomeno and Danijel Cesarec provided a versatile pairing in attack last year, but the duo will be even more dangerous as a healthy Mauro Milano is ready for a full season with Asteras. Winter signing Jaouad Zauri also showed his flare in his limited appearances last year; but like Milano, more is expected from Zauri in his first full season with the club. Defensively, Asteras was a rock last year with Nikos Lazaridis at the center of the club’s backline. In goal, Georgios Abaris was truly a revelation in Greece last year. The Greek back stopper propelled his club to several clean sheet wins.

Asteras Tripolis faces a tough test in their season opener, with Olympiacos providing opposition at the fortress known as the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. The encounter with the Greek Champions could quite well be a good omen for Asteras, who remain undefeated against the Piraeus club — one win and a draw.

This past summer has been a revolution for PAOK, after the club has acquired several quality players to add to an improving side. A club regarded as one of the biggest – behind the Big 3 of Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and AEK , of course – has truly struggled in recent years. Inconsistency has plagued Toumba, and PAOK have finished out of European contention for quite some time. Led by club president and former Greece- international, Theodoros Zagorakis, the club has transformed over the last few months.

A long list of players have come from Portugal, where the club’s manager, Fernando Santos, has a strong bond. Among the new arrivals, Kostas Chalkias is the most controversial as the Greece-international makes the move from rivals Aris FC. Other acquisitions include: Pablo Contreras from SC Braga; Vierinha from Sporting Lisbon; Zlatan Muslimovic from Atalanta; and Pablo Garcia from Real Murcia. Out of all the club’s summer additions, Pablo Garcia’s was the most anticipated arrival as a large crowd of PAOK supporters gathered to greet the former Real Madrid player.

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Daniel Fernandes headline a long list of departures from Toumba, as the former makes the move to Panathinaikos, while the latter seeks a new challenge with the Bundesliga’s Vfl Bochum. Former Greece-international, Georgios Georgiadis has hung up his boots after several years of service in the Greek top flight.

PAOK’s new look team will be under great pressure to have a strong start and ultimately qualify for European competition. After several mid-table finishes, the call for Europe from its supporters must be answered by a talented PAOK.

Iraklis – Greek for Hercules – heads into its 49th season in the top flight with a new look, and with a brand new agenda. The club will be celebrating its centenary this coming term, and after several poor finishes in recent years the club is hoping for some birthday luck.

Iraklis has made many moves to bolster its squad for the upcoming season. For the Thessaloniki club, the ‘bam’ signing – as they call it in Greece – is none other than Michalis Konstantinou. After being released by Olympiacos, it took Cyprus-international nearly all summer to find a new club. The player had limited playing time in Piraeus, but he is expected to be the go-to-guy with his new club. Kiko Raton, a former leading scorer in the Spanish Segunda Division will partner up with Konstantinou in the attack, after the Spaniard sealed the move to Greece from Orihuela CF.

Several young talents have left Iraklis for new challenges. Giannis Papadopoulos being one of them, has joined Olympiacos. Aaron Niguez has seen his loan come to an end, and Iraklis pursuance to acquire him on loan again failed as Spanish giants Valencia sent Aaron to Rangers. Veteran Elias Poursanidis has thrown in the towel, as the experienced midfielder retired at the end of last year.

Iraklis will need to count heavily on Konstantinou to score the club goals, and lots of them. With talent in attack, including youngster Dimitris Giantsis, Iraklis main hope of survival will be the club’s potential to score.

Like their island rivals, Ergotelis, OFI Crete has found itself in countless relegation battles in recent years. The club faced a bumpy ride through the 30-game season last year – a déjà vu of sorts for the OFI supporters. Despite managing to score handful of goals in some games, the club lacked consistency and were on the wrong end of many close games.

The club heads into the new season knowing they must improve on their bottom half finishes, and begin to push for European spots. The club has added a handful of players from ‘sister’ club Panathinaikos, as Elini Dimoutsos and Dame N’Doye join from the Athenian giants. The versatile Dimoutsos, is an up and coming Greek talent who never found his place amongst the PAO ranks. As for N’Doye, his time at Panathinaikos was doomed when Jose Peseiro was replaced by Henk Ten Cate as Panathinaikos boss.

Several well known OFI players have left the island; longtime servant Joseph Nwafor being one of them. Joining the Nigerian is Goran Drulic, after two years in Greece. Leozinho has seen his loan from Olympiacos to OFI come to an end, and the Brazilian has since been released by the Greek Champions.

Despite the departures of several key players, OFI has the talent to improve on their dismal finishes from the past. Stelios Sfakianakis experienced a late blossom in Crete last year, and the 32-year old will be expected to continue his goal-scoring this year. Giannis Taralidis, also a former Olympiacos player, will be expected to live up to his hype. A player to make a splash on the international level enters his second season in Crete, and the 27-year old will play a key role in OFI’s offensive and defensive agenda.

OFI begins its season against PAOK, and despite their success against the Thessaloniki in recent history, OFI will be in tough against their revitalized opponents. Mostly important for the team’s confidence levels, OFI is one of the many clubs who require several valuable results to open the 2008/2009 Greek Super League season.

Last year, Ergotelis narrowly avoid relegation and the side from Crete is hoping they won’t cut it that close again this year. The Cretans haven’t been to active this offseason. Several players have left Pangkritio, but management has worked hard to ensure there are no holes in the roster. Despite replacing them, it seems the talent levels of those departing players couldn’t be retained.

One of the players leaving Ergotelis is Ioannis Koiliaras, who has joined Panionios for the next four years. MLS star Clint Mathis has also left the club, as the 31-year old has returned to the United States to join Real Salt Lake. Greek prospect, Nikos Karelis, was snapped up by Premier League club Arsenal and therefore his days in Greece have run dry.

Arrivals in Crete have seen the team add depth to the roster, with Rogerio joining from Asteras Tripolis, as well as Georgios Vakouftsis who joins from Cypriot cub AC Omonia. Dimitrios Orfanos caps the list of notable arrivals, after the 25-year old left PAOK for Crete.

However, if Ergotelis are going to succeed this upcoming season it seems one player will be responsible for the feat. That player has been the face of the club and with his pace and skill has scored many crucial goals for Ergotelis. Although eleven players play the game, striker Ogunsoto will play a critical role on the pitch for the Cretan club; it’s a lot to ask of player who seems to have limited reinforcements in attack.

When kickoff comes this weekend, Ergotelis will be hoping the first hurdle – a trip to Komotini to play Panthrakikos – won’t be too far out of a reach. Favorites to take the plunge into the second tier this coming May, Ergotelis will need a strong start to the season if they are to quiet their critics.