Why Nottingham Forest have done a good job by signing Panagiotis Tachtsidis
EFL Championship outfit Nottingham Forest have made their 15th signing since the end of the last season, by signing Greek midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis on a free transfer. (h/t BBC)
Aitor Karanka’s side have made a slow start to the new season, winning just one of their six Championship outings (D4, L1). They currently sit 14th in the standings, following their 2-1 defeat to Brentford prior to the international break.
Forest strengthened their squad considerably over the summer, bringing in a number of experienced players like Michael Dawson, Lewis Grabban, Jack Colback and Costel Pantilimon. They also signed young talents like Joao Carvalho, Gil Dias, Diogo Goncalves to name a few.
However, Karanka dipped his toes into the transfer market once again to sign the 27-year old Tachtsidis.
Background
Having started his senior career with AEK Athens in his homeland Greece in 2008, the midfielder has been a bit of a journeyman, representing as many as ten clubs in his career so far. Tachtsidis spent a majority of his career in Italy, playing for the likes of Genoa, Cesena, Hellas Verona, Grosetto, AS Roma, Catania, Cagliari and Torino.
Tachtsidis returned to Greece, signing for Olympiacos from Torino in the summer of 2017, and went on to make 25 appearances for the club. In fact, he bagged a solitary goal and set up two more in the 2017/18 campaign. In a career that has spanned a little over ten years, the 27-year-old has accumulated 233 appearances across all his clubs, netting 13 goals and set up 25 more.
The midfielder has been capped 25 times by the Greece national team and has scored one international goal. He was part of the Greek team that made it to the Round of 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
What will he bring to the table?
A dynamic box-to-box midfielder, Tachtsidis is predominantly left-footed and is known for his immaculate range of passing. Able to dictate tempo either sitting deep or marauding up and down the field, the Greece international can perform either role adequately.
The fact that he stands at a touch over 6ft 4in should provide Forest with a strong physical presence at both ends of the pitch – something that has been their weakness in the ongoing campaign. He may not score a lot of goals but he could add more bite and energy to the Reds’ midfield.
Forest are well-stocked in the midfield engine room, with Ben Watson, Jack Colback, Ryan Yates, Liam Bridcutt and Adlene Guedioura all vying for a place in the starting line-up this season. However, considering both Watson and Guedioura are well into their 30s and factoring in Bridcutt’s inconsistencies, it makes sense for Karanka to beef up his options in the middle of the park.
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In Tachtsidis, they have a player who has plenty of experience at the top level. At 27, he is entering the best years of his career and he should add more quality and depth to Forest’s squad. Moreover, he didn’t cost the club a penny in transfer fees, making it a shrewd purchase indeed.
