Opinion
The Greek view on Norwich City new boy Dimitris Giannoulis
Dimitris Giannoulis joins Norwich City with a high reputation. - Credit: intime.gr/metrosport.gr
New Norwich City signing Dimitris Giannoulis is one of the most talented left-backs Greece has produced.
That’s the verdict of PAOK reporter for metrosport.gr Marios Kaliviotis, who described the 25-year-old as a modern left-back with a great future ahead of him.
Giannoulis was announced as a Canaries signing on Tuesday afternoon, signing on loan for the remainder of the season with an obligation to buy should City achieve promotion to the Premier League.
City boss Daniel Farke described Giannoulis as 'the piece they have been searching for' and that praise continues from his native shores. The PAOK star is highly-regarded in his home country, and a move abroad hasn't come as a surprise.
According to Kaliviotis, he is one of the best exports to emerge from Greece.
"Dimitris Giannoulis is probably one of the most talented left-backs who has ever played in Greece. I strongly think he is at the same level as Kostas Tsimikas, who plays for Liverpool.
"If you check his stats from last season you can see how important he was to the team. He played 34 matches with an overall of 89.4 minutes per game.
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"He is a very aggressive left-back, he's helpful both in defence and attack. His crossing ability is pretty good, he had seven assists last season. He isn't just a left-back, he can play anywhere on the left side, also as winger.
"Giannoulis started his career as an attacking midfielder, so his technique is pretty good. Most of PAOK's attacks have been created by him, in this season he has started very well, especially in games against Benfica, Besiktas and Krasnodar."
Those impressive performances in the Champions League qualifiers and his contribution in the Europa League attracted some big clubs to his services. Despite interest from Italy, a conversation with the club's hierarchy convinced the left-back to stay with PAOK.
Giannoulis is highly-rated and joins Norwich with a good CV. - Credit: intime.gr/metrosport.gr
City have now swooped in to sign him and Kaliviotis believes he can continue his upwards trajectory at Carrow Road under Farke.
"He was about to leave the team but he had a chat with the president and he decided to stay a bit longer. He had offers from Napoli, Newcastle, Porto and the last one was Torino before Norwich.
"After that, he was unlucky because he had Covid. It was noticeable for him. His performances got worse but it will get better soon. He is a modern left-back and has a great future ahead of him."
