All Greek teams have big financial problem and forced to reduce their budgets. Iraklis, Olympiakos and Finikas Syrou made some useful transfers and try to close their rosters as soon as possible.
Those teams seem to be the teams with the most possibilities to succeed their goals and fight for the Greek championship.
Yiannis Kalmazidis will continue coaching the team of Olympiakos who had agreed with middle blocker Gerasimos Kanellos from Iraklis, the setter Ioannis Livathinos from EAPatron, the outside hitters Kostas Ioannou from Kifisia and the Brazilian Paulo Anchieta Veloso Pinto, the Colombian diagonal Ronald Jimenez and Marek Novotný. Menelaos Kokkinakis, Sotiriou, Dima Filippov, Andreas Andreadis and Paulos Kouzounis will stay for one more year in the team. On the other hand Mitar Tzourits, Jason Jablonsky, Andreas Fragos, Rolando Jurquin Despaigne, Papazoglou and Lucasz Szarek had left from the previous year champions.
Finikas Syrou who might be the surprise of the championship had agreed with very experienced players such as the setter Vasilis Kournetas from EAPatron, the middle blockers Andjelco Dangubic and Nikos Papagelopoulos from Kifisia and Giorgos Soultanopoulos from EAP, the outside hitters Ilias Lappas from Panathinaikos and the Canadian Steve Gotch from Forli. Also Finikas took the diagonals Tomislav Dokic from Bastia Umbra and Lucasz Szarek from Olympiakos.
The main coach Nikos Neofitou and the players Victoras Kouroupis, Sotiris Tsergas, Arvanitis and Stelios Nikiforidis will remain in Finikas team for the next year.
Sotiris Drikos will be coaching Iraklis Thessalonikis for the next year. Iraklis had already agreed with the libero Yiorgos Stefanou from EAPatron, the outside hitter Kostas Xristofidelis, the setter Theodoros Bizidis from Kalamaria, the middle blocker Panagiotis Pelekoudas from Lamia and the previous year MVP of the championship Rolando Jurquin Despaigne from Olymiakos, although that he is punished from FIVB and could not played till the end of the year. Thessalonikis’ team will continue cooperating with Andreas Kravaric, Nikos Smaragdis, Kostas Prousalis and the young talents’ Efraimidis brothers and a great young diagonal Tzioumakas. The last transfer is the diagonal Marcel Gromadowski from Poland. Gromadowski moves to Greece from Poland where he spent the last season playing for AZS Olsztyn.
In our next article there will be news and transfers from the rest of the Greek teams.
Those teams seem to be the teams with the most possibilities to succeed their goals and fight for the Greek championship.
Yiannis Kalmazidis will continue coaching the team of Olympiakos who had agreed with middle blocker Gerasimos Kanellos from Iraklis, the setter Ioannis Livathinos from EAPatron, the outside hitters Kostas Ioannou from Kifisia and the Brazilian Paulo Anchieta Veloso Pinto, the Colombian diagonal Ronald Jimenez and Marek Novotný. Menelaos Kokkinakis, Sotiriou, Dima Filippov, Andreas Andreadis and Paulos Kouzounis will stay for one more year in the team. On the other hand Mitar Tzourits, Jason Jablonsky, Andreas Fragos, Rolando Jurquin Despaigne, Papazoglou and Lucasz Szarek had left from the previous year champions.
Finikas Syrou who might be the surprise of the championship had agreed with very experienced players such as the setter Vasilis Kournetas from EAPatron, the middle blockers Andjelco Dangubic and Nikos Papagelopoulos from Kifisia and Giorgos Soultanopoulos from EAP, the outside hitters Ilias Lappas from Panathinaikos and the Canadian Steve Gotch from Forli. Also Finikas took the diagonals Tomislav Dokic from Bastia Umbra and Lucasz Szarek from Olympiakos.
The main coach Nikos Neofitou and the players Victoras Kouroupis, Sotiris Tsergas, Arvanitis and Stelios Nikiforidis will remain in Finikas team for the next year.
Sotiris Drikos will be coaching Iraklis Thessalonikis for the next year. Iraklis had already agreed with the libero Yiorgos Stefanou from EAPatron, the outside hitter Kostas Xristofidelis, the setter Theodoros Bizidis from Kalamaria, the middle blocker Panagiotis Pelekoudas from Lamia and the previous year MVP of the championship Rolando Jurquin Despaigne from Olymiakos, although that he is punished from FIVB and could not played till the end of the year. Thessalonikis’ team will continue cooperating with Andreas Kravaric, Nikos Smaragdis, Kostas Prousalis and the young talents’ Efraimidis brothers and a great young diagonal Tzioumakas. The last transfer is the diagonal Marcel Gromadowski from Poland. Gromadowski moves to Greece from Poland where he spent the last season playing for AZS Olsztyn.
In our next article there will be news and transfers from the rest of the Greek teams.
