Lisi era opens with a statement signing
Aritz Elustondo. That is the name on everyone's lips in Thessaloniki this Sunday. PAOK announced the free transfer of the 32-year-old Real Sociedad centre-back on a contract through 2028, and he was already in town on Saturday for his medical (1) (2) (4). Three hundred and thirteen La Liga appearances, most of them for a club that plays a style Alessio Lisi will want to translate fast. This is not a squad filler. It is the first piece of the new coach's spine.
The timing matters. Lisi has barely unpacked his office, and already his sporting director Leo Matos has delivered a centre-back who can build from deep. That is a signal. The Lucescu era was built on different rhythms, different profiles. This signing says the new project has a clear idea of what it wants.
A proper goodbye for Sastre, a window that is moving
While one defender arrives, another leaves. PAOK published a farewell message on Saturday for Joan Sastre, who departs after three and a half seasons, 119 appearances, seven goals, and a Super League title in 2023–24 (5). Sastre was never the star, but he was a constant. Every squad needs those players, and replacing that reliability quietly is the kind of business that either goes well or haunts you by October.
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The Varela link to Benfica surfaced again this week, still just a headline from the Portuguese side (6). Nothing concrete yet, but it tells you the club is not finished shopping. A defender in, a wing-back out, a midfielder possibly next. Matos is working.
The youth pipeline keeps producing
Away from the first-team rebuild, the U13s won the TSC International Tournament in the Netherlands this week, beating Ajax and AC Milan along the way. You take those results for what they are at that age, but the names and the structure underneath tell you something real is happening in the academy. A club in transition needs these anchors. When the senior squad changes managers and loses starters, a functioning youth setup is not a luxury, it is insurance.
The timing of this tournament win, right as Lisi arrives, is a useful reminder: this club is not starting from zero. It finished third last season with a +34 goal difference, and there is talent coming behind.
What to watch
Lisi's first training sessions this week will tell us more than any signing announcement. How he sets up the group, who he spends extra time with, what shape he drills on day one, these are the signals that matter before a ball is kicked. Elustondo is in the building. The real work starts now.
