Celtic striker Giorgos Giakoumakis touted for Greece partnership with 15-goal AZ Alkmaar hero

By David Walton

March 17, 2022

In-form Celtic centre-forward Giorgos Giakoumakis has been tipped to strike up a partnership with Greece’s first-choice striker Vangelis Pavlidis.

Giakoumakis is back in the international fold after a year out of the game. Gus Poyet has included him in his first group for the upcoming friendlies against Romania and Montenegro.

Giakoumakis’ form has certainly been impressing back in his homeland. With 8 goals to his name in 2022, the coverage back in Greece has been extensive.

And now, he’s being tipped to hook up with AZ Alkmaar’s 15-goal hotshot Pavlidis in what would certainly be an interesting partnership. That’s according to former Greek Super League star Tassos Venetis, who said the following in the Scottish Daily Express [print edition, 17/03, page 57]:

“Greece have a lot of good strikers. Vangelis Pavlidis at AZ Alkmaar is the main one just now, but there is no reason why Giakoumakis can’t play alongside or off of him. I think they would make a good partnership.

“Now, he is playing regularly for Celtic, he will only grow in confidence and get better and better. I think that will provide the new Greek coach with a pleasant problem.”

No reason why Giorgos Giakoumakis can’t be Greece’s number 1 striker

Pavlidis, who played against Celtic for Alkmaar in this season’s Europe League qualifiers, only has 5 goals in 21 international appearances [Transfermarkt].

In other words, there’s no reason why Giakoumakis shouldn’t be starting as Greece’s first choice striker in the coming months. Especially if he takes his opportunities in the upcoming camp.

In addition to Pavlidis of course, there is plenty of competition elsewhere. Anastasios Douvikas of Utrecht is also in the squad along with Atromitos striker Efthymios Koulouris. Yet despite the quantity in Poyet’s squad, Giakoumakis certainly plays for the biggest club out of the 4.

He also trumps Koulouris’ and Douvikas’ goal record this season combined. Considering he’s only been playing regularly since the beginning of 2022, that’s impressive stuff. It clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed by Poyet either.

Of course, Giakoumakis’ potential partnership with Pavlidis would only come into effect if Poyet went with a 2-striker system. Having Giakoumakis playing just off the Alkmaar man may work, but Giak won’t be as effective if he isn’t playing as a natural centre-forward.

We’ll see how this develops over the coming international break. Giakoumakis still has a chance to bolster his goal record further this Saturday against Ross County.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou looks set to play the patient game with Celtic’s Yosuke Ideguchi