Why Most EPL Sides Should Try And Sign Samaras
Now let me start this by stating that the bigger sides in England, say the top seven or eight teams shouldn’t be included in this piece. I’m talking about the mid-table sides and the lower teams in the English Premier League. Teams like Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Hull should definitely take a punt on Greek international forward Georgios Samaras.
Samaras isn’t a prolific hitman, he won’t get you 15 or 20 league strikes a season. But then again you should no longer view him as an out an out striker. Because he isn’t suited to that role. You can’t expect consistent world beating performances either, the former Celtic man is still a bit hit or miss.
I am not really selling him well here.
But there is something about Samaras that makes him worth the gamble.
The twenty-nine year old has matured and now understands that sometimes its better keeping things simple rather than trying too much. He can be a great outlet when played out wide on the left. He has a good burst of pace, can dribble down the flank and is also useful when you need a player to hold up the ball when in the final third. At 6ft 4 inches, the wide-man uses his height well in aerial battles and is good at coming deep and winning flick ons.
Although he won’t grab hatfuls of goals, he does have the knack of scoring important goals. In Glasgow, Samaras would get strikes for Celtic against their Old Firm rivals Rangers and he’d also score an impressive thirteen times for the Parkhead side in European competitions. He also has nine goals in eighty caps for Greece, including the penalty he scored in the third minute of stoppage time against the Ivory Coast at this summers World Cup (that goal saw Greece qualify for the second round).
The main attribute I appreciate in the big Greeks game is his work-rate. Once upon a time Samaras was a bit of a scapegoat at Parkhead and was seen as a liability. It got so bad that it seemed certain that he’d leave Celtic without much fuss. But with his sheer willingness not to give up and his endeavour to work the line, saw Georgios become a fan favourite in Glasgow’s east end.
All these qualities and the fact that he is now such an experienced pro, to me show that he’s worth signing for most of the EPL sides. As long as they give him time and don’t lambast him for every mistake he makes, he will give you his all and prove the undoing to quite a few opposing teams.
Also lets not forget one of footballs good guys is available on a bosman transfer this summer and won’t demand a huge wage either. So lets see where Samaras ends up in August.
Posted on June 30th, 2014 by scott
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