Eloustondo injured as PAOK lose 2–3 to Twente
That is the sentence that defines this week. PAOK lost their final friendly on Dutch soil 2–3 to Twente on Saturday, and new signing Aritz Eloustondo left the pitch with a hamstring problem (7). The club's own match report confirmed the injury. For a central defender signed to fix a back line that conceded too freely last season, any muscle issue this early in pre-season is a problem Lisi did not need.
Zafeiris, who featured in the match (7), had spoken earlier in the week about his move. "It was the right decision to come to PAOK and I don't regret it," he told Gazzetta (6). The quote lands differently after a defeat and an injury. Zafeiris clearly wants to be here and wants to prove people wrong. That is the kind of mentality you build a midfield around. But a motivated midfielder cannot cover for a missing centre-back.
Eloustondo himself gave an interview before the match explaining why he chose the club. "I knew where I was coming to," he said, describing how the project sold itself (2). Conviction at the signing table counts. Conviction from the treatment table counts for nothing.
Lisi is building something specific
The Taha Ali deal with Malmö is reportedly done (5). Ali is quick, direct, and comfortable wide. Add him to a squad that already has Konstantelias pulling strings centrally and you see the shape of Lisi's attack: pace from the flanks, creativity through the middle, and a striker who feeds off service. The coach is targeting players he knows and trusts, and that pattern is the strongest signal yet of how he wants PAOK to play.
There is noise around Jorge Sanchez pushing for a move away. Every pre-season has its contract tensions. Lisi's response, or lack of one, will tell fans how much leverage the club actually holds.
What to watch
The squad returns from the Netherlands this week and the Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament against Partizan comes next. The only result that truly matters right now is Eloustondo's scan. If the hamstring is minor, the week resets. If it is not, PAOK enter the business end of pre-season one defender short with competitive fixtures approaching. Lisi has shown he can recruit. This week he may have to show he can adapt.
