Lisci signs, the new era is here
It is done. Alessio Lisci will be your new manager, signing a contract through 2028 (3) (4). Italian reports called it overnight and Greek front pages confirmed it Saturday morning. Sportime led with it as definitive (3). Gazzetta backed the same detail: deal until 2028, the papers in Italy treating it as sealed (4).
The Lucescu chapter closes. After days of back-and-forth about whether Razvan Lucescu would stay or go to Al Sadd, the club has moved. Lisci arrives with a different profile, younger, less known, and a clear mandate to reshape the squad (3).
Former players Vieirinha and Matos are also part of the backdrop, linked to the transition in the dugout (3).
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Four midfielders under review
Lisci walks into a midfield puzzle. Soualiho Meïté, Magomed Ozdoev, Alessandro Bianco, and Mady Camara all have uncertain futures (1). The club is evaluating who stays and who goes, with the new manager's input now central.
Valencia's Baptiste Santamaria is one name in the conversation as a potential reinforcement (1). No final decisions yet, but the midfield rebuild is the next domino to watch.
PAOK close in on Lisci
Just before the confirmation, transfer reporter Nicolò Schira had called it: "Alessio Lisci is one step away from signing with PAOK as new coach. Contract until 2028" (2). That post landed Friday and by Saturday morning the deal was over the line.
The speed of the move suggests the club had been working on this quietly while the Lucescu situation played out in public.
Fan reactions
The mood is split. Some fans are ready, calling it the dawn of a new PAOK era and hinting that a big-name signing at the number 3 position is not far off [link]. Others are honest about not knowing who Lisci is and are asking fellow supporters to fill in the blanks [link]. A third thread cuts through the grumbling: big-name coaches are not the only path, and this appointment deserves a proper chance [link].
