Ortega signs, wants Champions League
Stefan Ortega is officially yours. The German goalkeeper was announced by Olympiacos on Thursday, arriving as the first-choice keeper (7). He did not waste time with small talk. "First target is to qualify for the Champions League. After that, we want to win the league and the Cup, play good football and be as successful as possible," Ortega said after landing (8). He also mentioned receiving a flood of messages from fans already.
Salah-Eddine: deal close with Roma, but not done
Olympiacos are closing in on Anass Salah-Eddine from AS Roma. Clubs are nearing an agreement, with reports suggesting a fee around €7–8 million (4)(6)(9). But here is the catch: no personal terms have been agreed yet with the player (5). Salah-Eddine only joined Roma last summer after rejecting PSV, and now he could be on the move again to fill the gap Francisco Ortega left on the left flank (4).
One report says Salah-Eddine will say no
Not everyone is convinced this gets over the line. A separate report claims Salah-Eddine views a move to Greece as the wrong step for his career at this stage and intends to turn Olympiacos down (2). PSV journalist Rik Elfrink is cited in that account. Until the player says yes, this one stays in the air.
Gustavo Sá was never in Famalicão's plans
Carlos Carvalhal kept it honest. The Famalicão coach admitted he never really counted on Gustavo Sá or Ibrahima Ba for the new season, knowing both were highly likely to leave (1). "When I signed for Famalicão, I knew the probability of them leaving was very high. So I didn't really count on them," Carvalhal said. Sá is now on his way to you via the Nottingham Forest and Jorge Mendes deal.
NEC Nijmegen in Champions League qualifying
Olympiacos will face Dutch side NEC Nijmegen in the third qualifying round of the Champions League (3). NEC goalkeeper Gonzalo Crettaz is already buzzing. "I get goosebumps just thinking about it," he told Dutch outlet VI.
