History, they say, is not written with ifs. But it is often stated. And certainly it is mandatory in several cases. The result of a transfer bargain is visible, measurable. For every team, for every footballer, for every factor. So many came, they came. So many are gone, they are gone. Both the costs and the income.

But part of the whole. A very small part of the bigger picture of +100 days that every team on the planet is either voluntarily or involuntarily employed in a summer transfer window, whether actively involved or not, with arrivals and departures.

And above all, what is ultimately not done and is not evident in public opinion and what is not recorded in the final accounts also influences what forms a historical context. Because on the one hand it emphasizes values ​​and on the other hand it sets the future.

Therefore, the “bars”, that is, the deals that in details and circumstances were not finalized this summer, involving Greek internationals, can easily become goals next year. And when they don’t, the photo of the moment captures a multi-level enhanced status for each of them.

Ten Hach and the 14 million euros in Vlahodemos

Eric Ten Hach had identified Odysseus Vlachodemos as his main choice for the Ajax home prior to his move to Manchester United. It is no coincidence that following the transfer of the Dutch technician to ‘Old Trafford’, Ody’s name has been implicated in ‘Red Devils’ transfer scenarios.

The decision-makers of “Aianda” retained the choice of their former, current coach. As there was also the approval of Edwin van der Sar, sporting director of the Dutch champions, what else did they need?

On the last Sunday in August, just after completing Anthony’s record-breaking sale to United, Ajax formalized what had been decided at least two months earlier and submitted an official proposal for the Greece international goalkeeper to Benfica, a proposal that touched 12 million euros.

But the impressive thing wasn’t that, it was what Ody offered. Four-year contract with a total salary of 14 million euros “net”. An amount…mythically, totally outside of any rule of Ajax’s financial policy, an amount that would make Vlahodemos the second-highest earner in the squad behind Tadic.

And at around €3.5m a year, the 28-year-old goalkeeper would secure a 100 per cent increase in his earnings and in the final year of his contract at Napoli (nearly €4m) with more than double the earnings of any other current Greek footballer.

In the end, however, the Lusitanians’ inability to find a goalkeeper to match their coach Roger Schmidt’s ‘wishes’, or even enough, proved to be the catalyst for the transfer not going through and a deal materialising. Ajax didn’t get a goalkeeper (of course). As did Leicester, who had Vlahodemos at the top of their shortlist but failed to make a formal offer due to financial constraints.

The Greek glimpses of Trabzonspor: Limnios and Masouras

June 9th. Volos, Panthessalico. In the closing stages of the game between the national team and Cyprus, in an unsuspecting moment, the MVP of the ‘blue and white’ Nations League Summer Games Dimitris Limnios shocked everyone. He is badly injured and bursts into tears, with test results confirming the chills caused by everyone’s reactions when they saw him crash to the ground.

Cruciate ligament tear, long absence. For his own good. At the crucial moment. A conference call was scheduled for the next morning by Hellenic Extremis, with Trabzonspor coach Abdullah Avtsi and those responsible for the Turkish champions’ transfer planning. The reason; They… know us better as that was essentially all that was left to complete the 24-year-old midfielder’s move to Trebizond.

Trabzonspor – with the apparent approval of the current Greek twin of its squad – would loan Limnios out on loan from Cologne, with the agreement calling for a mandatory €1.5m buyout in the summer of 2023 and Limnios signing an additional two-year- (or three-year -) Contract that would bring him at least 1.2 million euros a year. However, poor timing prevented the agreement from going into effect.

That didn’t deter Trabzonspor and the team captains. Coach Avtsi’s everlasting desire for Giorgos Masouras was formalized and intensified again at the end of the summer when Turkish champions Olympiakos upped their offer for the international winger to €5m and gave him the same three-year deal, which would see him get more than his current earnings allow double and thus also rise to the category of millionaires.

Something, however, was the payment method – unsatisfactory for the Greek champions, the situation with the impossibility of finding a suitable replacement, but Carlos Corberan’s assessment of the 28-year-old winger also stuck with “Karaiskakis”. , which – at least for the time being – prevents the disposition of the champions of Turkey for the expansion of the Greek municipality of Trebizond.

Not even with the thief’s three

This summer was very instructive and groundbreaking for Vangelis Pavlidis and Pantelis Hatzidiakos. Both at the level of professional collaboration since the early death of their agent Mino Raiola, and at the level of… redefinition (and definition of a specific context) of their relationship with AZ.

The catalyst for this is the transfer of the two Greek internationals. Salernitana offered the Dutch club €12m for their top scorer, giving him a contract worth more than €1.5m a year. The answer of the technical director, Max Hauberts, in the negative.

And monotonous. The same was essentially collected from Bruges as it formalized its own interest. Seeing no response despite the pressure, the Flemish turned to Roman Yaremchuk, who bought the 26-year-old Ukraine international from Benfica for €16m, a record-breaking expense in their history and worthy of what they put on the table to get in temptation to lead AZ for Pavlidis.

Not even his…third thief could…fight the transfer for the 24-year-old fan. Stuttgart knocked on AZ’s door after selling Sasa Kalajdzic. What she heard was beyond her capabilities, without the Greek striker’s ankle injury – an injury that will keep him out of action until early October – easing the pursuit, with the Swabians turning to Afrikaner Serhous at the end of the game’s transfer window Girassi, the they took over on loan from Rennes.

The situation for the other side of the Greeks in Alkmaar was different, with significantly more…understanding (at least initially) in relation to the interest it aroused, but ultimately the same result. The two proposals that arrived from Lecce at the beginning of July (a loan with a very small purchase option) and at the beginning of August (a loan with a purchase option of 1.5 million euros) were rejected without fanfare, Bologna never formalized their interest, while AEK and Olympiacos, who in turn knocked on the door of AZ and the Greek stopper, failed to enter the process to satisfy the Dutch club’s final €2m-based claims.

The triangle of Fiorentina, Mallorca and Spezia did not favor Nicolaou

It’s not common, but it’s a sign of progress. Two transfers in as many summers. Last year, Dimitris Nikolaou was loaned to Spezia by Serie B champions and newly promoted Serie A club Empoli. He ended the year irreplaceably and effectively bought the ticket to the next level of the championship.

Not only that, as Mallorca claimed him first. The islanders offered the 24-year-old stopper better wages but were unable to meet Spezia’s demands. However, it was Fiorentina’s perspective that overshadowed everything. “Viola” coach Vincenzo Italiano asked for an upgrade in the centre-back rotation and expected Nikolaou to be bought.

Fiorentina struggled until the end of the transfer window to find a formula to meet their manager’s demand. Money was not an issue – a €6m offer to Spezia, a doubling of profits for Nikolaou to reach the million mark – but both the timing and (mainly) the convergence of everyone’s priorities proved important insurmountable obstacles.

Spezia had envisaged getting a replacement for Nikolaou and so didn’t want Matija Nastajic, who was brought into the deal by Fiorentina, who insisted they only switch for the Greek defender if they released the (essentially inactive) Serbian stopper . This has been done, he has been compensated and he joined Mallorca as a free agent in the fifth round of the summer market, but now there was not enough time to complete the takeover of Nikolaou as well.

Of course, these are not the only… rays of summer. But he was one of the special ones. And in any case indicative of the enhanced status of international Greeks in the football market. And that, regardless of formalities, never closes. So much so that whatever comes up in a transfer window, even if it doesn’t result in a deal, is secured and sets the stage for the next.

So already wait for the following goals…